


The Five Regions

by Kira_Dattei



Category: Sono Yubi Dake ga Shitte Iru | Only the Ring Finger Knows
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-17 02:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 53,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3511547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Dattei/pseuds/Kira_Dattei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Empowered and the Gifted were at war until the Enlightened brought peace and created the Five Regions. Yuichi is learning to be a warrior for the Regions when he meets Wataru, who nobody really knows anything about. This meeting is the start of great changes to happen within the land.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Empowered, Gifted, and Enlightened

**Author's Note:**

> I celebrated big time when I found that this fandom was on AO3. I didn't know the Japanese title for it so that slowed me down. I have been working on this fic for a while now and am determined to finish it. Hope you enjoy and really hope to hear something back on it.

Where there is power, dispute follows close behind until balance is found.

In the land known as the Mineral Valley, the dispute between the powers of the Gifted and the Empowered had been raging for centuries. The Gifted held power over the world around them, using a variety of methods to channel their energy to affect aspects of their surroundings. The abilities of the Empowered were focused inward and effects were restricted to the person which would allow them to become capable of inhuman feats. The different nature of the two forms of power is what started the dispute. There was a quick escalation to war, which resulted in nothing but loss of life; for despite the differences between the kinds of power, they complimented each other on a fundamental level. The war continued without any headway being made on either side, the only difference in the land being the Gifted gathering in the southern half of the land to be close to the mountains and elements they could use for protection while the Empowered moved north to utilize the forests and plains to help protect themselves.

This is how life continued in the Valley for the next few hundred years with no indication that anything would change.

But change did happen and it came in the form of a man named Noal Nobunaga and his wife Terrah. Their arrival brought something to the Valley that the inhabitants had never before been exposed to: power other than that of the Gifted or Empowered. The power of the Nobunagas was termed Enlightened as their abilities were not restricted to the person or environment, but rather seemed to be without limit. It was unknown where exactly the Enlightened came from and even if there were any more than the pair that worked their way through the land. The two dedicated their lives to working between the populations of the Valley and mediate to the point where a peace was established to bridge the differences between the different powers.

For their actions to benefit the people of the Mineral Valley, it was under unanimous decision to give honor to the Nobunagas and their place as King and Queen of the Valley was implemented before they could resist the action. Their hesitation in being given the position didn’t affect how they ruled though: once they were responsible for the people, they worked tirelessly to help the Valley become a land of peace and unity despite the differences between the people within it.

Recognizing that the people would still need to have some measure of separation until peace was further experienced – and the land was simply too vast to monitor on his own – Noal quickly decided to transform the Mineral Valley into different Regions, each with its own representative and acting leader who reported directly to the King. He built up a stronghold in the very center of the land and the area around it became known as the Central Diamond Region. The northern region, whose population continued to primarily consist of Empowered, was named the Crystal Region with the southern region and its Gifted population was called the Emerald Region.

With the Diamond Region breaking up the lands heavily populated by a specific people, the remaining land to the east and west – which had been populated by the minority of people who were born without powers during the years of dispute – then became lands known for a mixed population. The western area became the Ruby Region and the eastern area was called the Jade Region. They also became home to training facilities organized by the King to give all people with powers the chance to learn how to best utilize their abilities and receive a fair education. This also helped to further ensure that the populations of power mixed even for those who grew up in the Crystal and Emerald Regions. The training facilities were and unbelievable success and their creation did nothing but solidify the Nobunagas further into their position of authority over the Five Regions.

The Nobunagas also brought to the people knowledge and understanding of their powers that they had never had the opportunity or means to discover on their own. They revealed to the people that all their power came from what the Enlightened called “cores” and it was what made a person capable of the abilities they possessed. They were as vital to the individual as the mind or heart and while every single one was unique in some manner, each was limited by what was termed its nature and that was what determined to person to be Gifted or Empowered or even Enlightened.

It was the capability to manipulate their cores that had given the Enlightened their great power and what had led to them being called such a name. It was also in reference to the knowledge they brought that seemed to be beyond what the people of the Five Regions had been capable of before the appearance of the couple. It was this knowledge that had proven that common ground existed between them which could be the foundation of an alliance between warring powers.

Along with passing on the knowledge of the existence of cores, the Enlightened introduced the prospect of Bonding. It was the ultimate declaration of commitment between two people where a connection was created between their cores. This connection – while volatile at first – became something of a lifeline between two people. Because those who Bonded usually did so because there was a natural connection – usually a connection of love and commitment – between them to begin with, the Bond itself was treated with the utmost respect and interfering with the development of a Bond was not tolerated. This value of the Bond began with the Nobunagas – for all could see the relationship between Noal and Terrah was one deeper than any thought possible – and spread through the Regions alongside the knowledge of the cores. Bonding became important to the people.

Over the next fifteen years, the land learned how to live as a united people and the nature of power faded to a secondary factor in their interactions. During this time, Queen Terrah birthed six children – four sons and two daughters – until her life was claimed during the labor of the youngest child. The land grieved the loss deeply, after all the Enlightened had been an ageless strength within the land and to lose one of them to something so…ordinary was difficult to accept. Just as the people were reaching a critical point of doubt and vulnerability, King Noal announced that all of his children were granted Enlightened powers and the older ones were already being raised as leaders of the land. This announcement brought about the relief he was going for – six more Enlightened had to be more than enough to cover the loss of the Queen. So the children of Noal Nobunaga – Keiran, Nira, Rohn, Kale, Lain, and Aran – became as revered as their parents and grew to care deeply about the land they lived in and the people within it.

Life goes on…

* * *

  **Diamond Region Royal Palace**

Noal Nobunaga sighed heavily as he stretched back in his chair, trying to counter the many hours he’d spent hovering over reports from the last week. It was on days like this where he really struggled to tolerate the position he had been placed in as king; he was a warrior above everything and so remaining idle was not to his preference. As the tension left his body with his movement, he decided that there was no reason to maintain his protective appearance and so he would release it to gain further relaxation of not having any of his abilities be active. He closed his eyes and muttered “Kalen Fujii” to the empty room. His power reacted immediately to the command and the air surrounding him shifted as the Illusory Barrier which altered his appearance to be the face that all within the Five Regions recognized dissipated to reveal his true features. The stocky build didn’t change as he had been raised as a warrior, but the once fairer skin darkened to a healthy bronze with light brown hair which was cut close to his scalp and eyes to match.

Feeling much more relaxed and focused, Kalen turned back to the reports. There had been a sudden increase in disputes between the Gifted and the Empowered that didn’t fit with the cooperation – peace – that had been reigning over the past thirty years. The only cause he could think of for the difference was in the announcement that his sons would be taking charge of the outer regions. Even that seemed like a long shot though: he’d made sure to check with Kohaku and Ryoku – his eldest two sons who were much more skilled at Looking through time than he was – and neither had reported these problems as a risk in revealing his plan to place his children in official positions of authority.

Then again, male Enlightened had never really been particularly skilled at Pre- and Post-Cognition. There was just something about the nature of the skill that worked better for women. His wife, Rei, had not only been very good at finding exactly what he needed to know in time, she had also managed to impart a great deal of this skill upon their first three children – who were the only ones old enough to understand the lessons at the time – before she had died. After her death, Kalen had severely restricted all his children in the use of the ability. In fact, this was the first time in nearly ten years he’d even mentioned using the power in making a decision.

But Kohaku and Ryoku had reported that they couldn’t find evidence of severe adverse reactions to the announcement. A few isolated incidents across the regions was one thing – an everyday occurrence in fact – but outright violence against the Guardian patrols and Royal Defenders – both positions being representations of the influence of the King – was something that had never surfaced before. That was something Kalen considered to be the beginnings of a severe adverse reaction.

Then there were also the continued reports of attacks spreading further along the Southern Emerald Region’s border of people calling themselves Vagabonds who bore cores of a different nature than any other within the Mineral Valley to give concern over.

A knock on his door pulled him from the line of thought and he called the person in, knowing the feel of Shohei Kazuki, the Captain of the Defenders. The man entered with a slight bow to acknowledge his friend’s position in the only degree he was allowed. Kalen hated being treated as a king by anyone, let alone by people he cared about.

“Shohei, it was so kind of you to provide me with an excuse to take a breather from these frustrating reports. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Kalen said, though he could from Shohei’s stiff posture that this would not be a pleasant visit.

“Sir, Asaka asked me something I found disturbing,” Shohei responded, aware of Kalen’s knowledge of his stress. He noticed the King’s caramel brown eyes darken at the name of the Defender who was in charge of his children’s protection. “He asked me when I had last seen Wataru.” Kalen’s demeanor darkened further at the mention of his youngest child, knowing that Shohei was supposed to have daily weapons training with each one of his offspring – he was the only one Kalen trusted to do the job.

“And what was your response?” the tone was dangerously even.

Shohei paused, knowing his answer could very well get him killed, despite his friendship with the man. Anger wasn’t a safe emotion for an Enlightened to experience as their cores were much more prone to reacting to emotions than that of Gifted or Empowered. “I can’t say with certainty. I asked other Defenders in Wataru’s private guard and they are saying the same thing. I don’t know what it means.”

“What have you done about it?”

“I have had the Region searched physically and asked your other children to search through their own means. So far nothing conclusive has been found.” Shohei’s posture crumpled slightly as he thought over the situation. “Kalen, he’s disappeared and I need to know why. You are the only one who may be able to explain. Nobody knows your children’s capabilities and actions like you do.” Shohei watched as Kalen was able to pull away from his distress and focus on what might give him answers. After a few minutes of deep reflection he looked back to Shohei with resignation.

“I have no idea why he would disappear, though with the strength of his Influence, it wouldn’t take too much power and effort. He would only have to suggest to those around him that they didn’t need to be concerned with him for some time. The suggestion would force thoughts of him to the back of your mind for as long as he needed. Now that he was brought to your attention, the effects were broken and you realized how long you actually hadn’t seen him. I’m going to hazard a guess that he’s found a way to disconnect from his siblings long enough to get out of their range.”

“What range are we looking at?” The range may give them a timeframe to work from. They may find someone outside of Wataru’s Influence who might point them in a reasonably accurate direction.

“He’d have to pass the boundary of a Region. The lines that act as borders for each Region have the means to act as a barrier between powers if someone knows how to use it, even as idle as they are now. With the same power though, the same power acts as a connection between the leaders of each Region, a connection that can’t be severed by anything but death.” Nobody but Kalen and the current representatives of each Region knew that there were even powers held within the land itself and so Shohei would have had no reason to already know what was being told to him now. Shohei’s mind was quick and he absorbed this new knowledge at once and tried to use it to help him find the answer of what to do in searching for Wataru. “But he’s been named the Ambassador of the Crystal Region.”

There was more that Kalen had not made clear to others: when he had announced that his sons were to take over command of the Regions, he had not clarified that there was more to them truly gaining any position than to just send them to the land and giving commands. “He’s been chosen to lead that Region, but he hasn’t been connected to the land’s power and initiated into the position. None of them were to be given their position for another month. I’d confidently say that that was his deadline. Accepting that connection meant he’d no longer be able to separate from his siblings and myself.” Kalen paused and seemed to consider something. “Wataru has always had unusual development in his abilities. They are inconsistently emerging and even regressing and his life has even been put in danger because of it several times.”

This was only partially news to Shohei. He remembered times where nobody was allowed near the boy for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. When it came to an Enlightened there weren’t many reasons for secluding them besides power complications. Although, now that it was brought to Shohei’s attention, none of Kalen’s other children had needed to go through periods of seclusion other than the youngest one who was currently missing.

So what did that mean for the teen to now be alone in the general population?

“What do you want me to do, Your Highness?”

Despite knowing that the question was coming and already knowing his response, Kalen couldn’t help but hesitate in answering. He knew that his decision was the best course to follow, both from the perspective as a king not placing his own needs above the people and as an Enlightened and having trust in the powers that guided the lives of him and his family. This did not, however, change the fact that his order would hurt him as a parent. “Call off the search. You know Wataru: he’s more stubborn than all of my other children combined. If he’s set his mind on disappearing, we won’t find him.” At Shohei’s obvious building objection, Kalen continued, “He hides his capabilities very well. He might be better off on his own than with us trying to shape his development. I won’t stop believing in him because he made a choice I don’t understand.”

Shohei couldn’t understand the King’s decision. His thoughts naturally drifted to his family. If his brother suddenly disappeared, he would do all he could to track him down and bring him back where he belonged. As the thought of his daughter doing something similar occurred to him, Shohei swore he heart stopped beating through his fear. And his friend and king was saying that they should just let his youngest child remain missing.

Was this what it really meant to be Enlightened? To see things beyond what everybody else could? If that was true, what did that mean to Wataru, who had made a choice his father – one of the most powerful Enlightened in existence according to the Nobunaga’s claims – could not see through? Was Wataru capable of something beyond Enlightened?

“Yes, sir, I will issue the order at once. However, I would like to offer the general public reward for viable information concerning Wataru.” Kalen nodded his agreement, knowing that they had to do something to let the people know he cared. Shohei bowed deeply and turned to leave the King to his grief, knowing no more reports would be read today.

A defeated tone he’d never heard from Kalen – or any of the Nobunagas for that matter – stopped him at the door. “Please Shohei, tell me I’m making the right choice and I haven’t just condemned my son.”

The room remained silent.

* * *

News of the young Prince Aran Nobunaga disappearing spread through the Regions quickly. The public, whether they be Gifted, Empowered, or regular citizens – had trouble accepting the loss of yet another of the royal family. Connections were made almost immediately that the child that was now missing was the one who had claimed the queen’s life fourteen years ago.

There were no accusations made though; the Enlightened were too revered to take it that far. Beyond the existing reverence, Aran had spent the past few years becoming very familiar to the public. His strongest ability was a variety of healing methods and he’d made regular trips around the land near his home in the Central Diamond Region to heal those who couldn’t afford medical care on their own. He had worked hard since turning twelve to earn the respect of the people rather than simply inheriting it and that showed in the people’s depressed response to the news of losing him.

Since his siblings kept their abilities and accomplishments hidden from the public, he had chosen to become a face for the people to associate with the name Nobunaga and Enlightened.

And now he was gone…

No explanation…

No indication of where in the Regions he might be…

There was only the faith that he did what he had to do and that one day he would return to his rightful place beside the rest of his family.


	2. First Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every first meeting has potential...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's been some hits so that's enough for me to continue getting this story up here. Of course kudos and comments are loved greatly, but hits count too! So here we go with the actual story. Enjoy!

 

**Two years later**

**Eastern Jade Region Training Facility**

Yuichi Kazuki, Guardian in training of the Empowered division, sighed heavily in boredom. Another month began within the training facility and with it another welcoming ceremony for new recruits.

There were few things in the world he found to be less engaging and worth making a big deal over.

He would prefer to be allowed to continue with his normal routine, but unfortunately there was a certain level of obligation attached to being the younger brother of the man most directly responsible for the operation of the facility.

“Careful, someone might notice the ‘model student Kazuki’ has no interest in new trainees,” Yuichi’s friend, Han, whispered from beside him. Yuichi glanced over with a roll of his eyes.

“I care about new trainees. What I don’t care about is meeting every single one who walks through the gate. We have better ways to spend an afternoon of every month.”

“Most people see this as a good break from every other day of the month. We don’t get many breaks from training.”

“That’s because most of the people we hang out with are in the advanced portion of training. Do you remember how many breaks we got as new trainees?” Han shrugged, knowing that Yuichi’s frustration was brought on mostly from the public nature of the event. Public meant being unable to avoid attention the teen could usually dissuade through rank the rest of the time.

Yuichi had everything going for him to be popular among the other trainees: he was handsome, kind, talented, and had a strong familial connection to the Nobunagas as the younger brother of the Captain of the Royal Defenders. That popularity would be better appreciated if the teen actually had any remote interest in it. The truth was he was quite intolerant of the attention, but being raised in an atmosphere of propriety made it difficult for him to actually express his dislike to the people who crowded him. He had few true friends to be open and honest with and they did whatever they could to help him have some semblance of a normal life by keeping the masses away from him.

In this, Han was a master: his powers allowed him to be amazingly perceptive of other people and he could use that to be instantly unbearable to anybody he chose to irritate. Yuichi had at one point doubted that his friend was really as skilled at deterring people’s attention through such methods – the other teen had too many friends to be _that_ intolerable – so Han had spent a few hours subjecting Yuichi to this particular talent; the two hadn’t spoken civilly with each other for two weeks afterward. “You could at least try to find a way to amuse yourself,” Han pressed his point, but then his face brightened with a wide grin. “Try to peg a hottie to go after.” It was a common subject for Han to tease Yuichi about: Connecting with someone. It was part of training to be a Guardian to find someone to be close and form a deep connection – not to the depth of a Bond but just as meaningful – with so that they could experience the deep desire of protecting another that came from being Bonded and would help them link those emotions to being a Guardian, who existed to protect the land and the people within it.

Yuichi shot Han a very dirty look, which was rewarded with another grin. Yuichi sighed again – he should have known better than to try and dissuade Han from that subject. Han was Empowered with Connections, the ability allowing him to see what people meant to one another, whether the relationship was already present or something they were capable of attaining. While the power of seeing Connections was not exactly rare, the level Han was capable of was beyond what Yuichi had ever known with any other. Though Yuichi could do without his friend’s constant reminding of how saddened he was by what he saw when he looked at Yuichi: there were potential friendships with so many people around him but they were all ignored by the teen.

“Will you just humor me for once? You can even lie to yourself by saying you’ve got some official task of great importance to take care of in doing so.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Look for the lost prince,” Han huffed, irritated that Yuichi was taking him _that_ seriously. “You missed the point.” Yuichi shrugged and shot his friend a pointed look, communicating clearly to Han that he knew the point but was just ignoring it.

Sometimes having a best friend who was a natural at subterfuge and mixed messages was frustrating, especially to one as direct as Han.

A flash out of the corner of Han’s vision brought attention to one of the new trainees approaching their position. The figure – male from the build – was hooded, which was allowed to all within the training facility but unusual as most saw wearing such concealing clothing to be in opposition to the purpose of the facility’s purpose of open acceptance of any within. He was of slight stature, standing about a head shorter than most of the other recruits and with the cloak draped about his body it was impossible to tell what his build was like. What could be seen of his clothes had certainly seen better days as they were worn and battered, though still in usable condition, yet that and how the boy carried his shoulders and the way his eyes remained lowered told of how he must have lived a rough life.

Han blinked, changing his perspective to try and figure out what caught his attention. Since his first choice was always Connections he found it immediately: this person had a connection to absolutely everybody in the crowd. _Impossible…_

Han blinked to change his perspective again, wanting to see what sort of abilities this mystery boy was capable of. He was surprised again when he couldn’t lock in on him enough to even tell if he was Gifted or Empowered. Something was blocking his senses, which he’d never seen before in a new recruit and rarely saw in well-trained users.

Deciding that he needed to make sure he wasn’t losing his touch, he spoke to his friend in a lowered tone, “Yuichi, could you do a favor for me and Look at that short, hooded boy?”

Yuichi was confused by the sudden serious tone to his friend’s request. Yet despite his confusion – or rather because of it since Han didn’t get serious very often – his eyes sought out the boy Han had indicated. Once he found him, he changed his perspective and hoped that he would even be able to See what Han was looking for. Of the two of them, Han’s Sight was stronger – as it was an ability related to his sight of Connections – by a long shot and so there was a very real possibility that Yuichi would remain blind to whatever it was that caught his friend’s attention.

“How am I Looking?”

“Nature of Powers.”

Focusing his vision in the manner that brought one’s abilities into view, Yuichi immediately understood his friend’s confusion. To Yuichi’s Sight, the boy had no powers at all. Knowing that it would have been impossible for the boy to be admitted if that was the case, Yuichi simply assumed that Han could see something, but probably couldn’t identify it. That was not a comforting thought considering Han’s remarkable skill. With that factor in mind, another possibility was that he was _that_ good at covering his powers – something unheard of in someone so young and new to the training facility. He turned to his friend with an expression that told Han he’d figured out what his friend was trying to point out.

“Wanna know what caught my attention?” Han asked, reminding Yuichi that nobody walked around casually using Perspective vision. He simply nodded his agreement. “He has a Connection with everybody around him that showed up in my regular sight. He has potential to be important to absolutely everybody. You know that’s just downright weird for anybody.”

“So who is this kid?”

“How about we use your family’s position for good and do some snooping?” The mischievous glint to his friend’s grin was impossible to ignore, and Yuichi found his own curiosity piqued in a way that he wasn’t accustomed to. He was usually able to remain removed from pretty much anything, especially if it was one of Han’s random plots to occupy himself, yet he couldn’t just dismiss this one when he tried to think of a way out of it. “How about you cozy up to him in warm greeting and I’ll track down his history.”

“Wait, why should I talk to him? Out of us, you’re the most likely to figure something out.” Yuichi couldn’t even give the argument that if they were going to use his connection to Shohei Kazuki to get information since all in authority knew Yuichi and Han were close friends and it wouldn’t be the first time one was sent on errands for the other. All Han had to do was say that Yuichi wanted to see the applicant’s information and he was busy with something else and they wouldn’t question him.

Han’s reply came with a superior and smug look. “Because his potential Connection is strongest with you. It changed as soon as you looked at him. I would be denying my duties as your best friend if I ignored a bond that strong.” A roll of light blue eyes was Yuichi’s reply, but the teen didn’t dispute the offered roles any further – knowing the futility of doing so – and instead began making his way through the crowd toward the boy.

* * *

_Too many people…Too much power around…It wasn’t supposed to take this long…_

“Stupid ceremony,” Wataru mumbled. He’d tried to forego the ceremony but Kawamura – his friend and contact he’d used to enroll without being asked too many questions – told him he couldn’t get in under the radar like he wanted to if he’d had to pull those kind of strings. _Kawamura doesn’t know how hard it is to keep hidden from this many people or he’d have found a way to make it work._ “Stupid ceremony,” he grumbled again in frustration. The small outbursts helped him keep calm even if people around him were giving him weird looks. Not that getting looked at weird was anything new to him, he’d been on the receiving end of those all his life.

“Yes, they do like their ceremony,” a soft but deep voice whispered from behind him. _No threat…_ his senses were immediate to respond despite how many tasks his focus was divided between. He wouldn’t have survived long if he’d been unable to keep his warning systems active subconsciously. “There’s only a few minutes left though.”

Wataru turned enough to glance at the speaker…well it was supposed to only be a glance. Light brown hair, grown out to brush just above intense but kind steel grey eyes made for a rare combination in the Eastern Region and was usually seen more in the Southern Region. His skin tone was relatively pale, only slightly touched by the sun. His build represented a compact strength, evenly distributed muscle that was designed for Empowerment. A quick Look confirmed the nature of his abilities. The light leather armor covering his torso and arms and the blade strapped to his left hip identified him as a Guardian trainee in the advanced stages of the program.

_…He’s familiar…_

“I take it you’re used to this kinda thing then,” Wataru responded, putting a lot of effort into sounding relaxed.

“Yes, I’ve been around the facility for quite some time now. My name is Yuichi Kazuki,” the teen introduced himself smoothly, unaware of the effect his response had on Wataru.

_Kazuki. He’s Shohei’s brother._ The connection to the man who Wataru had once seen almost on a daily basis almost caused him to bolt then and there, but something held him in place. He’d never met the sibling of Shohei before and he realized that Yuichi had no reason to know the name Fujii. The only ones who knew that name – it being the family name of his mother which he and his siblings had all taken to be as their real name – were those closest to the Enlightened family and there were strict rules which mandated that there were no circumstances where the knowledge was to be shared with anybody else. Because the rules were there for protection, they had never before been broken..

_Take the risk…_ “Wataru Fujii,” he responded shortly, watching the other teen’s reaction carefully. Seeing nothing significant in Yuichi’s demeanor, Wataru relaxed minutely.

“You don’t appreciate the crowd much do you?” Yuichi pressed the conversation, picking a seemingly random topic.

“Not especially. What gave it away?” There was a tug on the back of his cloak, nearly dislodging his hood. “Ah yes, not exactly standard outfit for an open event.” Yuichi’s expression told Wataru the acknowledgement of the statement. Following a sudden urge, Wataru continued speaking in explanation, “Close proximity aggravates a few sensitivities and it gets hard to ignore. It’s easier to handle if there’s something between me and them.” _There’s more truth than you’ve given anyone in a long time._

“Where are you from?” Wataru shoulders tensed automatically to fight the urge to reach up and pull the cloak further forward to conceal his dark hair and eyes, the combination a rarity in any of the Regions. It was a harmless enough question, one he’d probably get a lot in such a diverse facility, but he couldn’t keep the hesitation away.

“Nomad,” he answered shortly as he turned away. Yuichi nodded in response, but he noted the reaction to his query. Nomads were a private people who chose not to settle down anywhere, instead travelling through the entire Mineral Valley as merchants and entertainers, which tended to make them somewhat closed off to others. They had their solitary ways and didn’t claim official loyalty to anybody else within the land – though they held great respect for the Enlightened like everybody else so there was an accepted unofficial loyalty there.

Yuichi had met Nomads through his life – he even knew a few already training here at the facility – and that tipped of some instinct within him that said there was something else to Wataru’s sudden reticence. “What about you? Your hair and eye color don’t fit this Region.”

“That isn’t a particularly profound observation when we’re in a facility that brings in people from every Region,” Yuichi’s response was strangely playful. He was enjoying something about the interaction with Wataru. “My family is from the Emerald Region.” Wataru turned further to allow more of his features to be visible to Yuichi and there was a glimpse of jet black eyes and hair of the same color. It was an unusual combination: very few people in the five Regions had black hair and such a dark shade of eyes was nearly unheard of.

“A Region primarily populated by Gifted people,” the comment was clipped and Yuichi noted the offer of not expounding on the subject. It was a gesture not often given in the accepting times they lived in, an acknowledgement of harder times of war only just closed that most were still hesitant to openly discuss.

It also meant that Wataru could tell that he was Empowered without Looking at him.

Or, perhaps, he’d simply done it so quickly and with such a degree of subtlety that it had completely escaped Yuichi’s notice. When someone changed their perception, their eyes would flash momentarily with the power it used. The keener their ability, the more noticeable the shift was.

“True, but it was more willing to accept peace when they learned about the Vagabond’s Territory lying just on the other side of its border.” Wataru nodded in acknowledgement of the very true statement. There was growing tension throughout the Regions of war breaking out with the Vagabonds, who had powers different from the Gifted, Empowered, and Enlightened. The Southern Region felt the most pressure because of the border. “You knew that I’m Empowered?” Yuichi chose to call Wataru on that. He doubted his choice when the shorter male tensed once again.

Yuichi was becoming simultaneously irritated and intrigued by Wataru’s reactions to everything he said. There seemed to be no safe subject with him. This was completely different from what Yuichi was used to in conversing with Han, who seemed to believe there was no such thing as propriety and every subject was fair game.

When Wataru answered, his voice betrayed none of the hesitation his stiff posture was communicating, telling Yuichi the teen was more accustomed to mental control than physical, “More of an educated guess than anything. Your build has Empowered written all over it. Besides, your armor and weapon mark you as a Guardian, which is mostly made up of Empowered.” Wataru’s explanation was acceptable and certainly true, but Yuichi felt that there was something else.

Again, the feeling that there was more.

They had been so focused on their discussion that they didn’t know the ceremony had finally reached its completion until the crowd broke into a brief applause around them and then began to disperse. Wataru’s relief was immediate as the pressure around him relaxed and he was able to free some of his mind. It wouldn’t take long for him to recover but he was still going to feel strained for a little while after he was away from others.

He finally turned to fully face Yuichi. There was something to this conversation that touched a part of Wataru he had closed off long ago. He just couldn’t place what it was and didn’t want to consider what it meant. Answering a sudden urge, he brought his hands up and pushed the hood off his head and then adjusted the cloak that it remained over his shoulder so his stature would be visible. It was as much as he had opened up to a stranger…ever.

Jet black hair settled in front of his eyes and fell to his shoulders, mostly held in place by a leather band that circled his head and covered his forehead, the cut rough and displaying that Wataru didn’t care for style or maintenance beyond cleaning and keeping it out of his way. Wide black eyes made him appear younger and more innocent than he really was – something he used to his advantage often. His skin was a light tan from spending much time in the sun. The cloak had hidden a slender body with only muscle so slight that it made it appear as though the teen didn’t eat enough. His expression seemed open enough but Yuichi noted the experience of a rough life that lingered on the edge of Wataru’s eyes.

Something about Wataru’s posture struck Yuichi’s attention, reminding him of something he didn’t see often in Nomads, but he couldn’t place what it was exactly.

“So I’ll see you around the facility?” Wataru asked, knowing he wouldn’t see him for any of the courses he would be enrolled in and he wasn’t going to be staying long enough to get involved with any specific course of training.

He had other reasons for being here.

“Yes, I’d count on it,” Yuichi responded with a smirk. Wataru’s eyes narrowed in curiosity, but instead of questioning further he turned and walked away. As he watched the smaller teen disappear into the crowd, Yuichi was left feeling like he’d made a mistake lettimg him go.

He wondered how soon he could run into Wataru without the boy suspecting he was following him.

Connection indeed…

_...Stupid Han and his Sight…_

Thinking of his friend, he looked around the dissipating crowd for the other teen. He knew it wouldn’t have taken long for Han to get the information he wanted and he was proven right when he found him with only a brief perusal of the crowd. Yuichi made his way over to where Han was leaning against one of the nearby buildings. “What’d you find?” he called as he got near.

Han shrugged, “Not much to his record. He’s claimed as a Nomad and very little else on the application was filled in. Higher ups must have met with him already or he wouldn’t have been let in with such little info. You get anything?”

“Not much more. Just the general feeling that he doesn’t like to talk about himself.” Yuichi hesitated briefly, considering for a minute how much he should reveal of the sensations he had gotten throughout his exchange with Wataru before deciding that there was actually nobody better than to talk to about such things. “Something is bugging me about him, but I just can’t figure out what exactly it is.”

Han surprisingly allowed the comment to pass, only questioning passively, “Bugging you enough to report him?” Yuichi hesitated, knowing what he should probably do, but as he pictured the black eyes and considered his reaction to the other teen he knew what he had to say.

“No, I don’t think anything he’s hiding is dangerous. There’s just something about him…”

* * *

Wataru walked through the door leading to the room he’d been assigned and looked around. It was organized simply in order to accommodate people passing through it regularly: a bed against the far wall, a desk to the left wall and a closet beside that. He’d been surprised to find out that he didn’t have to share quarters with another recruit, but then he’d discovered that nobody shared rooms unless it was requested. It had apparently become common knowledge that all cores – and not just that of the Enlightened – resonated with emotions and so there was a very real risk of something getting destroyed or people getting hurt because of a bad roommate. He stepped further into the room and dropped his bag in front of the closet.

_One day down…How long will I last?_

This was where his life would reconnect with Aran Nobunaga. He’d known that since he had entered the Eastern Jade Region four months ago. What he didn’t know was just how much he would be exposed. He had no idea if being here only meant an isolated incident of one or a few people learning who he was or if he would have to go back to being Aran.

Making his way to the bed and without removing any of his clothing for the sake of comfort he settled into it. He considered the two years since he had gone into hiding. His disappearance had been the result of strong visions of disasters occurring within the very structure of the Regions if he’d been initiated into his position of authority in the Northern Crystal Region at 14 as had been planned. Something about that age and event caused the still fragile disputes between the Gifted and Empowered to increase instead of quell. He had tried countless times to figure out if it was just him or if the cause extended to his brothers as well, but he’d been too inexperienced with his abilities at that time and had failed to See anything beyond the fault being related to him. He had considered telling his father – he still thought about that now – but when he included that action in his Future, he still saw war breaking out. The moment he chose to disappear, his Future cleared of any signs of war and he was able to see the unity that now reigned in the Regions. It was him playing it safe that kept him from returning to his family once he knew the danger had passed.

Two years and he still had no clue why his choice changed the Future so drastically.

A knock at the door startled him into sitting upright, not realizing he’d started to doze.

“Wataru, its Kawamura,” the familiar voice called through the door. Relaxing his posture, Wataru invited his friend into the room. Kawamura slipped in, closing the door quickly behind him and turned to face the door and traced his finger over the wood to activate a Silencing Rune, Wataru familiar enough with the pattern to know it immediately.

“What’s that for?” Wataru remained passive, not entirely concerned by anything having gone wrong so soon. Kawamura had always tended to air on the side of caution, something Wataru usually endorsed and encouraged but was too tired to really care about at the moment.

“Just insurance: the walls aren’t that thin around here. Why did Kazuki approach you?” The direct question threw Wataru off since Kawamura usually displayed quite an easy going persona. His emotions did sometimes get away from him and would cause him to vent – endlessly in Wataru’s opinion – but he rarely just cut straight to the heart of the matter like he did now.

“I don’t know. He was asking pretty standard first meeting questions.”

“And you know who that was, right?” Kawamura also didn’t usually treat him like a child like he was now doing.

“Shohei Kazuki’s little brother. Why wouldn’t I know who he is when his brother was responsible for my safety for a good chunk of my life?” Kawamura looked somewhat angry with that response so Wataru elected for a diffusor. “I’d never met Yuichi Kazuki before today. Shohei wasn’t allowed to let his personal life and his official duties overlap for our safety.” His friend didn’t seem pacified in the least.

“And if Shohei or your brothers track the meeting and find you?” Wataru gave Kawamura an aggravated look.

“How long have I been in hiding?” Kawamura’s expression became confused. “Do you think this is the first person I’ve came in contact with that could be traced back to my brothers?”

“Of course not, but there couldn’t have been anybody this close.”

“He’s not close enough to make the connection.” His friend was obviously not convinced. “We’d know by now if he’d identified me. The Defenders would have made an appearance.”

Brown eyes seemed to finally relax slightly at the obviously good point: the Defenders would waste no time at all in approaching Wataru if he’d been found and with the few placed here as instructors and authorities for those in training to become Defenders and Guardians it would indeed be an instantaneous response. “I just didn’t want the hard work I put into getting you in here to be for nothing. Just try not to make the eye-batting a regular thing.”

Wataru shot to his feet at the accusation. There was the slightest flicker of the candle on the table, but it extinguished just as quickly as Wataru reigned in the flare of emotional response. Though his initial response was violent, the voice that spoke was quiet and collected, also known to anybody who knew the teen to be more dangerous than one of aggression. “Who’s batting eyes? It was a civil conversation between two trainees.”

Kawamura had long ago ceased feeling threatened by infuriating the Prince: he knew with too great of certainty and accuracy that Wataru would never hurt someone he cared about. “And how did the conversation end?”

“That we’d see each other around the facility. How is that…” the pause indicated Wataru really thinking back to the exchange. “Oh crap, I was flirting with Yuichi Kazuki!” he suddenly exclaimed and collapsed back into a seated position on the bed. Kawamura tried not to look entirely smug though he was sure he failed miserably. “How the hell did I not notice?”

“You were so focused on limiting your power that your reaction to him was instinctual. There must be some strong connection for you to not to be able to notice the reason for your response. You should avoid him until you have a better handle on your powers.”

And there was the reason he was there in the first place: he’d been through too many changes in his powers to control using the methods he’d grown up with. He needed to learn the tricks of the Gifted and Empowered to try and reestablish his balance. Anything he learned would have to be adapted to fit the nature of his powers – being an Enlightened meant his Core responded differently than the others in the Valley – but it would be better than his defenses failing completely and someone getting hurt because he lost control.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening was increasing as time went on without him addressing the problem.

“Wataru, if you aren’t careful Kazuki could be the reason you lose control. Emotions aren’t exactly helpful to your control; a Zen mindset only gets you so far.”

That was the problem with Wataru’s method of control as he had learned from his father and siblings: it relied on his ability to restrain his emotions. While he usually appeared to be a passive and collected individual, he was completely strong-willed, fiercely independent and prone to having strong emotional responses to his surroundings. He had lived for years suppressing his natural reactions and it was beginning to become too difficult to keep doing. He needed to find a way to successfully channel his power using his emotions rather than hiding from them.

Wataru remained silent, something he did often that Kawamura had had to get used to. Now he understood it to represent the never ending conflict his friend struggled with every day. _What should he do?_

“It felt right to stand beside Yuichi. I won’t be able to avoid that forever,” Wataru admitted.

Kawamura knew that it took a lot of fortitude for Wataru to reveal that, even to someone so close, and so he accepted that maybe Wataru needed to hear something he didn’t want to say. “Then don’t try to forever; just long enough to get a handle on everything. I just don’t want to see you hurting because of your choices.” That had been too much of a theme for the Enlightened since the two had met.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Wataru had disappeared from his position as Prince Aran and he was making it well enough on the outside, though he was realizing quickly how poorly he had planned his exit from his life as Aran Nobunaga. He had only brought clothes that he had available, clothes of too great of quality for others to really believe he was the Nomad he was claiming to be. He was constantly being questioned about why he was traveling alone at his age – his natural appearance always made him look younger than he was – and again being a Nomad wasn’t quite cutting it for an answer. His Core was providing him constant irritation as he had never gone this long without using his Illusory Barrier, which offered him some protection from some of his other abilities and now he was fully exposed to everything he was capable of. His mind was being constantly flooded by visions through time and he was struggling to adjust to living without the barriers he had become accustomed to.

The only relief he had was that his Core mitigated his need for food and water so he didn’t have to worry about using his limited money on supplies for a while.

Pulling the hood of his cape further over his head to hide from the cold more than curious eyes, he ducked into an inn. It was getting late and he needed a night off the streets to reset his mind. The dining area inside the entry was about half full of what looked more like Nomads, but there were some patrons that were guards on their time off – identifiable by their posture and the way they glanced to the door every time it opened. He got a room easily enough with a little push of his Influence – which he was gaining some proficiency at – to avoid the questioning of his age. He found an empty table off to the side of the dining area and setting in for what felt like the first actual dinner he would be eating since he leaving his home.

He was about to head up to his room around an hour later when another young man dropped into the chair across the table from him. He looked up to see a rather carefree male of about 16 years old. Reddish-brown hair fell around his head in a shaggy, unkempt manner framing expressive brown eyes. He was of relatively standard build and height, making him an individual who would simply exist in a crowd. A quick look deeper told Wataru his company was Gifted. _No threat.,,_

“What?” he spoke shortly and without any indication he welcomed the intrusion.

“Well aren’t we touchy. See what happens when I try to help someone out. My name is Kawamura and I’m here to protect your secret.” His introduction held a joking tone, but Wataru sensed that was more of a show, probably used for the sake of relaxing the Enlightened.

“And just what secret are you supposed to be protecting so valiantly? Besides, what gave you the idea that I need protecting in the first place?”

“I’ll admit you are skilled enough to magic your way past the innkeeper. That has to be the smoothest Illusory job I’ve ever seen. Hey, have you heard about the disappearance of the Prince?” Wataru tried not to react to the quick subject changes, but Kawamura threw it out too callously for him to cover everything.

He took in a deep breath to help calm down as he relaxed his weight back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest before answering. “Yeah I heard about it. It’s all anybody ever talks about these days. ‘How are we supposed to believe in a King who can’t track down his own kid’ and such discussions. Don’t see how that answers my question.”

“Others in here are thinking there’s something up with someone your age wandering in here alone and are making connections I’m doing some serious work to dissuade them from  and convincing them you couldn’t possibly be his Royal Absentness.”

“That shouldn’t take much work: you can’t prove something to be anything other than what it is. Besides, I look nothing like Aran.” Speaking his royal name aloud brought a rise from his powers to prepare to activate his Illusory Barrier and he quickly pulled his mind away from the ability, covering the act with a sigh of frustration. “Nice try, Aran…oh wait, you go by Wataru while not on official duty.”

Wataru’s defenses flared at his outright shock at hearing his name without giving it. He was surprised from the reaction as the flare connected with a barrier surrounding the pair, causing it to shatter. The shock distracted him from his rising defensive emotions and his powers settled once more as he tried to figure out where the destroyed barrier had come from. How could he have missed a barrier being brought up around him? Though now that the barrier was down, Wataru was able to see Kawamura’s capabilities: this young man was obviously a very talented and powerful Gifted. In fact, Wataru had never seen someone’s power look like Kawamura’s did. All he could recognize was that the power was focused on defensive techniques and would mean that the mediocre barrier that Wataru kept around him at all times would have been no challenge for the other teen to see through. And if the barrier could be seen through that easily, it wouldn’t be too hard for Kawamura to figure out that what powered the barriers was an Enlightened Core. “How long have you been following me?” Wataru still didn’t feel threatened and he hadn’t had any Visions of this encounter, meaning it didn’t hold any negative influence on his future – it might actually have been necessary.

Kawamura shrugged and reformed the barrier so smoothly Wataru was no longer surprised he’d missed it the first time. “A few days after you left. I saw you tricking your way past the Diamond Region’s border patrol. I knew that what I saw had to be the power of the Enlightened and that meant Aran.”

“My disappearance hadn’t been reported to the public yet.”

“True, but the guards knew and I’m friendly enough with the right people to know better than the public.”

“And why are you choosing to protect me?”

“There’s a reason you guys are called Enlightened. I figure you know what you’re doing.”

“That’s what everybody says about us,” Wataru muttered darkly. That common belief was what had put his father in his current position and it followed all his children in everything they did.

After that meeting, Kawamura had indeed protected Wataru in the time he’d been in hiding. First, he’d taught him how to survive a Nomad lifestyle. Then he found a way for Wataru to survive the last time his powers had shifted on him. Now he’d made it possible for the younger teen to hide out in the safety of the training facility. Sure, it would eventually mean Wataru’s exposure – not something he’d tell his friend because of his protective nature toward Wataru – but there was something there that would make it worth it to go back to Enlightened life.

He just didn’t know what it was yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is on the choppy side because of the jumps in timeline. There will be a few jumps over the next few chapters until we settle into the time where I have the bulk of the plot happening. Feedback is much appreciated but I'm going to continue putting chapters up regardless. I like what I created here :)


	3. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second meetings offer opportunity...

_Fill the lungs. Hold breath for five seconds. Empty the lungs. Fill the lungs. Hold breath for five seconds. Empty the lungs. Fill the lungs. Hold the breath for five seconds. Wonder how much longer we’re going to spend on this. Empty the lungs. Three hours on breathing shouldn’t be needed in a society that has had magic for centuries. Fill the lungs._

Wataru’s distracted thought process was enough to disrupt his breathing from what the instructor had told them to maintain and he fell into his preferred rhythm, which took about twice as long as the rest of the class. He felt attention on him and guessed that the break in rhythm had caught the notice of the instructor. The instructor, an Empowered man in his late forties by the name of Nowaki, had impeccable attention to details even without tapping into the Sensory enhancements he claimed were his specialty and Wataru spared him half a second of respect for noticing the shift so quickly. He then matched his breathing to the people around him and fell back in line with the class. He knew that the teacher still hadn’t dismissed him completely, but he didn’t care enough to let it affect him anymore than it already had. He did, however, split his attention between two tasks: making sure his rhythm didn’t break from the instructed method and while letting his mind wander to keep from getting bored. He had been doing this as long as he could remember so it wasn’t like he was skipping out on anything that might help him.

It had been two days since the introduction ceremony and he had, of course, recovered from the crowd exposure of his first day at the facility but he was still on edge for a number of reasons. At the forefront of his unease was a difficulty in accepting that he would be sticking around in the same place for an extended period of time. He had become so accustomed to moving from one place to another constantly over the past two years that knowing he wouldn’t be leaving the next day was going against the instincts of survival he had developed since leaving Aran behind. Beyond that, despite being among a rather large group of other new trainees, he still managed to be the focus of a lot more attention than he preferred. He figured part of it was his own fault since he continued to wear his cloak with the hood drawn over the uniform he was provided. It wasn’t against the rules, but it still separated him from just about everybody else. He couldn’t help it though: keeping a physical barrier between himself and his surroundings was as habitual as moving constantly.

“That’s all for today,” Nowaki called out to the class and Wataru felt the room come alive around him. He didn’t come out of the meditative state immediately as the others did though, but took an extra deep breath so that he could focus his mind into a single train of thought, countering what he had done in splitting his attention moments ago. He opened his eyes in time to see the instructor glance his way again, then look away as he addressed everybody. “Breathing drills are fundamental to maintaining control in any situation and if you master it you will never have to battle with your abilities as you probably have to do now. You should practice this drill several times each day until you don’t have to focus on the pattern. This is all I want you to work on until I see you again in a week.”

The trainees started gathering their belongings and filing out of the room with Wataru moving at a slightly slower pace so as to miss the crowded exit. He was about to turn to the door when he noticed the instructor making his way over to him. He sighed in frustration, already having an idea as to what he wanted to discuss. He should have paid closer attention to what he was doing to keep from Nowaki’s attention.

“Trainee Fujii, is it?” Nowaki asked and Wataru simply nodded in response to try and dissuade the man from thinking he _wanted_ to talk to him. “Would you mind telling me how long you’ve been tapping into your abilities?”

“You’ve watched me breathe. What exactly happened in that time to make you think I’ve tapped power?” Wataru responded guardedly, which wouldn’t be too unusual for a trainee being accused of doing something he wasn’t necessarily supposed to.

Since the creation of the training facilities, trying to control abilities without any formal training was discouraged to the point of being legally reprimanded. Of course, abilities for Gifted and Empowered usually didn’t emerge until mid to late teens and so it was easier to have that restriction.

Things were different for the Enlightened though and Wataru had been battling with his abilities since he was a toddler.

“I’m talking about the adjustments you made as soon as I was focused on you. The only way you could have noticed where my attention was while that unfocused on your surroundings was if you were enhancing your senses.”

“That would be a good conclusion if I was an Empowered, but I’m Gifted. So, excuse the disrespect, but maybe you should check your information before you go accusing me of something that would go on my record as needing a possible disciplinary action.” Nowaki didn’t look like he was buying that excuse.

“There are other methods to enhancing senses, such as bonding your awareness to the air around you and it would garner the same results,” he countered. He had a good point there and Wataru had the thought that the man must be more skilled than he had given him credit for. Nowaki had obviously realized that Wataru had never actually lost rhythm of breathing, but had instead settled into what he already knew to be natural for him. He’d have to give a much more specific argument to be convincing on this one, not that that would be too difficult. “Look, it’s not like these facilities hold all the rights to teaching meditation and breathing exercises. The people I travelled with saw the benefit to meditation, whether or not they had powers, and so everybody practiced.

The instructor seemed to deflate much more with that declaration. After all, Wataru was openly claiming to have been raised a Nomad – he wasn’t too far off from the truth with how deeply immersed he had become with them over the past two years – and the nature of their lifestyle dictated that they have less structure. They still answered to the same laws as everyone else, but their home was with the people around them rather than a specific location and that gave them different priorities.

“Well, if that’s the case, then I will commend you on your skill. You are already aware of your natural rhythm and you obviously don’t have to actually focus on what you are doing. You may want to consider requesting a more advanced curriculum or you will probably get bored.”

Wataru mentally scoffed at what he considered a stupid suggestion since it would do nothing but gain him more attention, not that Nowaki knew that so he couldn’t hold it against the man. Aloud, he was more respectful while actually remaining honest, “I appreciate the thought, but I’d like to go through the entire program in case there’s something here that will work better for me than what I’ve learned already.”

“Very well, then I will see you next week,” and with that, Wataru was dismissed without a second thought and he sighed as soon as he was out of the room. He wasn’t off to the greatest start when two days in he was getting called on something to do with being Enlightened.

“Just had to be born one of them…” he muttered darkly. He rarely felt anything negative toward his family and even now he felt guilt at having such a thought against those he loved and sacrificed everything for, but his mood was simply getting fouler as the day progressed and it wasn’t even noon.

He started toward his room at a reserved pace since he had plenty of time until he had to be in the fields. His next training session was a weapons class and he looked forward to getting in some good training. He hadn’t touched a blade since leaving his family, preferring to stick to the bow and arrow he had always been most talented with, but right now he just really wanted to hit something – or someone, he wasn’t picky. It helped even further that weapons training was common for many people and so he was going to be placed with people of similar skill and he could work out some frustration without really worrying about getting more attention out of the deal.

After a quick stop by his room to change into more comfortable clothes – the uniform was still quite stiff and would serve as a distraction – and he was off to the fields where all physical trainings were conducted. He would use any extra time before his official training session started to warm up and regain some of his equilibrium before being put up against anybody.

He had just exited the dormitory and turned in the direction of the fields when he heard his name being called from nearby. He looked toward the direction of the voice and his breath caught as he met grey eyes.

Yuichi’s form was a striking presence. Wataru hadn’t really noticed the first time they’d met, but without the pressure of the crowd, it was impossible to miss that fact. He was tall – Wataru came to just below his chin, though he was a little shorter than average – but he carried himself with a level of self-confidence that couldn’t be taught and only made him seem taller. His hair was shorn neatly and while Yuichi obviously didn’t put much care into it as few people in training for Guardian did, it appeared as though it lay about his face in the exact manner he wanted. And it all looked good. His finely sculpted features and his posture made him seem simply regal.

_I could never look this much like royalty._

Then again, he didn’t actually like looking like royalty, so he’d never really given it an honest try.

But here was a man so close to him in age that didn’t have a reason to carry himself in such a manner, and yet he seemed to accomplish it flawlessly. In fact, Wataru had already heard word around the facility – the rumor mill wasn’t the most reliable source of information, especially with the age group he was immersed in, but it did have its moments and so Wataru always tapped into it as soon as possible – and apparently Yuichi was the kind of person in which everything came easily to him. If he made up his mind about something, it was as good as done.

Yet another way he was completely different from Wataru, who had seemed to struggled through everything. Every once in a while something would come to him quickly, but he usually had to settle for average results.

Realizing that he had been staring and hadn’t said anything, he shook his head slightly to gather his errant thoughts and responded to the other teen. “Yuichi, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” he tried to cover his lapse.

“Yes, it is a surprise. How are you settling in to the facility?” Yuichi questioned smoothly as he walked up closer to Wataru, stopping about an arm’s length away, a distance the shorter teen quickly widened out of habit rather than actual discomfort. Yuichi noted the distance Wataru set and made a mental note to maintain that for the time being.

“Things are going smoothly. I just finished my first class with Nowaki.” Yuichi nodded shortly.

“He’s a very good instructor; you’ll learn a lot from him.” He paused as a small smirk appeared on his expression. “That is as long as you don’t take everything he says too close to heart. He can be pretty brutal with his feedback once he gets going.”

“I think I can handle him. He wouldn’t be the first person to insult me.” Wataru was the youngest of six, insults didn’t bother him.

“Good to know. Where are you heading to now?”

“I have weapons placement and training in a while. I was going to just get a workout in before it starts.”

Yuichi had to keep the smile from his face at his stroke of luck. He wouldn’t have to search for an excuse to prolong their chance meeting. “I’m heading that way as well. Do you mind if I join you?”

The conversation he’d had with Kawamura came to Wataru immediately and he hesitated in responding. Should he just allow whatever was between them to grow or did he need to play it safe? Just the thought of denying Yuichi’s presence filled Wataru with an unparalleled sense of loss and sadness that bordered on depression.

Was it even a matter of should as much as _could_ he deny Yuichi’s request, simple and innocent as it was?

“Sure, that sounds great,” he found himself saying before he could analyze that query any further.

Apparently he couldn’t…

Yuichi’s eyes seemed to light up at his response and Wataru found himself desiring that expression more often from the other teen. As they turned back in the direction of the fields, Wataru’s mind raced to find something to say to the tall figure walking beside him. After a few paces, he noticed that Yuichi had settled into a position next to him that maintained the distance Wataru has set between them and he was touched by the considerate gesture, though he couldn’t even think of something to say to acknowledge it.

_Kawamura’s right, my mind is all over the place. I need to get myself in order before my control slips and someone gets hurt._

“You said the other day that you are a Nomad, right?” Yuichi finally broke the silence and Wataru nodded his response. “Do you know where you came from?” Yuichi looked to the shorter teen out of the corner of his eye to gauge his reaction and wasn’t surprised to see the slender body tense at the question.

“I didn’t join the Nomads until a few years ago, so yeah.” Yuichi was kind of shocked to actually get an answer that elaborate. From the continued stiff posture, he had expected a simple yes or no answer.

Not that he would complain about learning more than expected about the enticing smaller teen.

“Why do you ask, anyway? Your chances weren’t high for me being able to give an answer.” Wataru even continued the line of conversation.

“It didn’t hurt anything to ask, did it?” Wataru lowered his head to conceal the small smile the response caused. Yuichi was certainly bold, a trait that reminded the Enlightened of Shohei though the younger Kazuki managed not to seem as callous as his brother. “Curiosity is a powerful motivator.”

And just as had been done a few days ago, Wataru felt a tug on the hood of his cloak. However, Yuichi wasn’t as gentle this time and pulled hard enough to dislodge the cloth from its place over his head. Wataru was too late to notice the action and his hand flew to his hair on reflex just as the hood settled around his neck. He looked over his shoulder to look at the other teen and was nearly captivated by the sly expression on Yuichi’s face. At seeing such emotion, Wataru felt the urge to replace the hood, but then decided not to as the thought occurred that Yuichi would probably just pull it back down again. So instead, he ran his hand through his hair to smooth out the mess that always followed constantly having a hood over it. He had to admit that Yuichi was not what he ever would have expected Shohei’s younger brother to be like. Whenever Shohei had talked about his brother, he had spoken of someone easy to envision as the next Caption of the Royal Defenders for his propriety and healthy respect for getting things done in the manner they were supposed to get done. This was not the person Wataru was facing now: while there was certainly a touch of what Shohei had talked about, it appeared to be more supplemental to who Yuichi was rather than the guiding force. Maybe Shohei’s opinion was jaded by being the older brother and maybe seeing more what he wanted than what really was, but either way he was wrong.

Wataru was about to move the conversation in a different direction when Yuichi continued his own line of thought, giving explanation to his action of exposing Wataru’s features in speaking, “Black hair is rare enough in any of the Regions and it’s usually a sign of not having any powers, but I’ve only heard of people in the lands surrounding us to have black eyes. To possess both is beyond intriguing.”

Of course Yuichi would be well informed in things like this; as obsessive as Shohei was in knowing the norms of appearance and ensuring that Wataru knew them, it was likely he had subjected Yuichi to the same expectations. The observation itself wasn’t off in the least either as Wataru’s parents came from a land outside of the Five Regions where at least the dark hair was a commonality.

Black eyes though, were a rarity no matter where you looked as far as anybody knew.

Realizing he’d been silent for some time now – if Yuichi’s expression was any indication – Wataru searched his mind as quickly as possible for something to say. He finally settled for the option of being extremely evasive. “It’s not like I got to pick how I looked when I was born. Believe me, if it were up to me, I’d pick something that helped me blend into the crowd rather than become the focus of it.”

He wasn’t sure if Yuichi actually bought his response – the older teen certainly seemed like he wanted to say more – but he was robbed of the opportunity as they arrived at the training fields and approaching other people broke up the private conversation. There was a sign-in sheet with an injury log – even the smallest bruise and scratch had to be recorded – and a spot to mark which weapon had been borrowed or if personal training weapons had been brought. Personal weapons had to be checked by the field facilitator for safety and then the trainees could enter the field. It wasn’t a quick process, but it was designed to protect the students as well as possible given the dangerous nature of weapons training.

Yuichi signed in first since he had been there long enough that the facilitator knew him to be completely honest with his log. He’d also brought his own weapon, whereas Wataru would not only have to decide on which weapon he wanted to train with, but then they would have to find which one would work best for him as far as balance and weight of the weapon matching his size and skill. When they found the right weapon, they would make a note of it so they didn’t have to repeat the search every time he returned and chose to use that type of weapon.

It was a surprise to the facilitators when Wataru didn’t take long at all to make his selection since even people who had been through some training weren’t usually taught what made a specific weapon the right one for them. Wataru, however, quickly selected a short sword style blade and just as quickly identified the one that fit him well enough to practice with.

The facilitators weren’t the only ones surprised and as he was handed the weapon and the information was logged, Wataru turned to see Yuichi giving him a pointed questioning look. Wataru seemed confused at the expression. “What?” he asked when Yuichi’s gaze didn’t falter after a few seconds of just staring at each other silently.

“I’m not used to a new trainee selecting an adequate weapon so quickly and with such confidence.”

Wataru shrugged the comment off. “I’ve been training with weapons for most of my life. It would have been time well wasted if I couldn’t identify a proper weapon for myself. I prefer the bow but I feel the need to hit something and an arrow hitting a target a hundred yards away just isn’t as satisfying for that.”

Yuichi nodded his understanding. Not only could he sympathize with a sword being much more useful for venting frustration, but Shohei had started Yuichi in his combat training early in life as well so he knew how strong of an instinct one could develop for handling weapons. However, Yuichi’s capabilities with weapons were above almost everybody else’s with his specialty of Empowerment where he could nearly master any weapon that he came in contact with through heightened body and mind awareness. It was a rare ability that his training as a Guardian had helped him hone. Furthermore, he had a strongly protective nature that compelled him even more to master his power.

Discovering that Wataru also had a long history of training piqued his interest as to how the smaller teen would measure up to his ability. Since Yuichi didn’t actively attempt to extend his social circle, he didn’t have anyone he was close to that had much experience with weapons before attending the training facility. With his skill being so far beyond just about every other trainee, he just didn’t feel right asking anybody who didn’t have a few years of experience with weapons to spar. This meant he usually had to set up times with Guardians stationed at the facility to train with to really get some good practice in. However, here was an opportunity to test out someone he had never faced before and who he wanted to learn about and he found that his curiosity was too strong to ignore. “What do you think of a sparring match with me? There’s little more satisfying in relieving stress than a good partner to train with.” Yuichi watched Wataru’s expression shift as he mulled the offer over for a few seconds as if it was a much more serious decision than whether to train with or without someone. Finally he nodded his agreement to the prospect and Yuichi couldn’t suppress the smile at what was turning out to be a very good day.

* * *

Yuichi and Wataru had warmed up separately, each having their own set of exercises and stretches they put themselves through to loosen their bodies. They then went through some basic cuts and strikes with their weapons before finally turning to face each other to begin. Wataru knew Yuichi would be a challenge even without seeing him handle the long sword he was using: he was in the advanced portion of his training as a Guardian which meant he had already been training for  nearly two years and Shohei would have certainly had him getting familiar with weapons long before entering the facility. Beyond that, there was just the sense that he was completely comfortable with the weapon he held.

Just Wataru was reaching his conclusion of Yuichi’s skill, the Empowered was building his own expectations of how the match would progress: while he was not concerned over whether or not he would win the match, he did get the impression that the smaller teen would not go down easily. The smoothness in which he settled into a stance with his weapon raised in preparedness alone was enough to tell him that Wataru was completely relaxed in the thought of fighting another person and that meant he wouldn’t be prone to hesitation like many new trainees had to get past. Yuichi also guessed that Wataru had a great deal of speed: his small, lithe body was perfectly built for evasion without using much energy so he would probably outlast many people he came up against.

Pulling from his observation, Yuichi recalled that in open matches like they were about to partake in required a verbal establishment of rules to be observed by one of the ground’s facilitators with acceptance from all participants before they could get started. “Continue until a clear victory is obtained. Loss of weapon doesn’t constitute a victory,” Yuichi declared the rules and Wataru nodded his agreement. “I will not be using any enhancements either.” Since Wataru wasn’t Empowered, he didn’t have to declare the same or agree to the restriction.

Yuichi settled himself into a relaxed stance he could easily attack and defend from and he wasn’t going to change that until he had a better idea as to what he was going to deal with against Wataru. He had purposefully ignored Wataru while he was warming up as to avoid getting the wrong idea of his skill by watching practice swings.

He made eye contact briefly and nearly relaxed his stance too much at the expression he saw in the black gaze: Wataru looked alive. There was always the feel that Wataru was holding back, but that didn’t seem to be there at the moment. The jet black eyes were practically dancing with anticipation and Yuichi could identify aspects of his personality in that gaze alone that he had been unable to declare with certainty until now: strong independence shaped by an unrefined nature.

Wataru didn’t miss the opportunity and sprang into action, bringing his practice sword in an upward arc aimed at taking Yuichi’s legs out from under him. Yuichi reacted quickly – a reflection of his experience – and stepped out of the path of the strike while noting that Wataru did, indeed, move very fast. With the threat passing in front of his knees, he brought his own sword in a horizontal strike aimed for Wataru’s hand. A quick shift in the angle of the initial swing moved the base of Wataru’s blade into the path of the strike and it was deflected. The action was merely defensive though and Yuichi was able to use the momentum of the deflection to follow up the strike immediately, making a swing for the shoulder. Wataru wasted no time in noticing the movement and he sprang back enough to avoid the strike and then he was back within range to use his smaller weapon and shorter limbs to make another attempt at taking Yuichi’s legs out from under him. This back and forth exchange continued with neither teen making any real progress toward victory, but both were taking in vital information about the other’s fighting style and ability.

_Low strikes allow him to keep his body coiled and he can move quicker without risking off-balancing himself. He can’t generate as much strength in his strikes, but it keeps me moving and if he makes contact it’ll give him the extra time he needs to deliver a powerful attack. Quite the well-developed strategy he’s made for himself._

Now that Yuichi had a better idea as to Wataru’s skill, he started pushing back. He still allowed the low strikes, but his counters gradually contained more power and Wataru had to put more effort into keeping the blows from making contact. Noticing the change in Yuichi’s responses, Wataru changed his own style and stopped attacking altogether and remained on the defense, relying more on small movement and evasion rather than worrying about using the short sword. He could keep this up for hours while Yuichi wasted energy on missed strikes. Yuichi picked up on the change in tactics within a few missed strikes and he held back his next attack. He usually wouldn’t worry about expending a little extra energy but without the use of his abilities he would tire out quicker and he wanted to see what Wataru would do next. He was turning out to be even more skilled than Yuichi had expected and it was a pleasant surprise he was enjoying exploring.

Yuichi was still holding back quite a bit, but Wataru was much more advanced than most of the people he was used to facing off against besides Guardians.

Wataru continued to delay as he tried to figure out the best way to get through Yuichi’s flawless defenses. The taller teen had yet to make any unnecessary movement and his timing on everything he did was perfect and Wataru was beginning to wonder if he’d made any headway at all against him. Sure, he had yet to get a solid strike in on Wataru, but out of the two of them the smaller teen was more likely to make a mistake and he knew it. He figured Yuichi was aware of that as well.

An idea hit Wataru at that realization and he immediately took another swing at Yuichi, this time targeting his midsection which raised his posture and he already felt more off-balance with the strength he was putting behind the strike. Yuichi noticed how Wataru’s current strike was affecting him and he side-stepped the attack so it passed just in front of him, then countered with the full advantage of his longer arms and weapon. He aimed the blow at Wataru’s torso and knew immediately that his opponent wouldn’t be able to move quickly enough to evade or block.

When his weapon made contact, it was a solid hit but not where Yuichi had expected: Wataru’s free left hand had extended and stopped the blow short by grabbing the dull weapon near the hilt where there would be less motion and so less impact on his sensitive flesh. He didn’t give Yuichi a chance to recover and swept his own weapon toward Yuichi’s now exposed torso. Getting past the surprise of Wataru’s sacrifice move, Yuichi dropped his weapon and leapt away to avoid the strike. His long sword fell to the ground since Wataru didn’t even try to keep a hold of it with his hand that was already beginning to redden and swell.

“I wouldn’t have guessed you would be willing to take a chance like that,” Yuichi commented as he put a little more distance between the two, not able to keep from commenting on such a wild move.

Wataru shrugged as he tucked his left hand beneath the line of his belt to help keep it hidden and protected. He hadn’t pulled a stunt like that in years – he hadn’t sparred with anyone in that long that was skilled enough without tapping into abilities that made him resort to such tactics – and he had forgotten how much it hurt to nearly break his hand.

Shohei had lectured him for nearly an hour after the first time he pulled a similar stunt, which he had completely ignored. Sometimes victory meant taking a risk which may get you hurt and Wataru wasn’t afraid of doing just that.

“Don’t worry; I wouldn’t try that if we were using live weapons. I’m impulsive, not idiotic.” The corners of Yuichi’s lips lifted in a small smirk at the declaration. He had guessed that Wataru had thought of that particular move seconds before attempting it and the statement confirmed his suspicion.

_I can add hot-headed to his list of character traits. Too bad that move didn’t get him anywhere._

It was a further testament to Yuichi’s skill that he had managed to evade that strike. His immediate willingness to give up his weapon in order to keep from getting hit showed an unquestionable confidence in his fighting abilities and Wataru wasn’t sure he would have been able to make the same choice if their roles were reversed.

That realization led Wataru to believe that he wouldn’t be able to win against Yuichi in a fight without powers. He couldn’t even say for sure if allowing the use of powers would help him gain the upper hand; he was even more hesitant when faced with the thought of using his abilities against another living thing.

On the other hand, Wataru didn’t like to lose either.

He recovered his compact stance and moved in for another attack against Yuichi, alternating strikes between trying to take out Yuichi’s legs and downwards cuts aimed for his torso. He only got a few attempts in before it seemed like Yuichi lost his patience and moved in too close to get another cut in and he struck Wataru’s wrist with a swift punch, loosening his grip on the weapon. In the next instant, the taller teen was standing behind him with one arm wrapped securely around his waist, effectively pinning his left arm to his body, and he had taken hold of the short sword over Wataru’s hand to restrict that limb as well and was now holding the dulled blade against Wataru’s throat.

And just like that, Wataru had lost the match to Yuichi.

He didn’t offer any resistance against the hold or the threat of the blade against his throat, merely accepted his loss with dignity that had been ingrained into him by Shohei. After all, it was impossible for there to be anything other than a winner and a loser in every fight and both sides took the same risk when the conflict began to be the one who lost.

Feeling the tension quickly leave the smaller form in his grasp, Yuichi recognized the acceptance of his victory and he started to loosen his grip on Wataru when his senses seemed to catch up with the position they were in. Wataru was pressed so close to him that he was aware of nothing but the other teen’s presence. He realized how at peace he felt when in contact with Wataru and he suddenly had the thought that he should protect him with everything he had.

He wondered what Wataru felt being in his arms, if anything.

The body in his arms shifted and he was baffled when it seemed that Wataru’s form relaxed further into him and Wataru’s head lolled back slightly so that it was being supported by Yuichi’s shoulder. Yuichi thought briefly that he might have just been moving away from the sword, but something told him that had nothing to do with Wataru’s action – he seemed not to care in the least that there was a weapon at his throat.

“Not where I expected to end up when I agreed to this,” Wataru’s voice didn’t dare raise above a whisper and Yuichi responded by lowering the sword from its threatening position and his forearm rested on Wataru’s shoulder. His grip around Wataru’s lithe waist loosened as well, but he maintained a solid hold on the other teen. “You do this often?”

“I would say this is a first time for me. I’ve never lost my weapon in a sparring match. You’ve challenged me in ways I’ve never experienced before.” There were many meanings behind that last statement and Wataru’s dark eyes turned to gaze up at him telling Yuichi he had noticed even if he didn’t really understand.

“Fujii!” the name was yelled out across the field and Wataru jumped so violently, Yuichi had to let him go so he didn’t get struck by flailing limbs. He turned to the source of the call, intent on disliking the person on the principle of interrupting what was a very promising moment between the two of them.

The male approaching them was a familiar face to Yuichi, but he couldn’t place where he knew him from. His height lay somewhere midway between Yuichi and Wataru and his shade of brown hair was pretty standard in any part of the Regions. By the wear on his uniform, he had obviously been at the facility for a few years and might actually have already completed his training. He wasn’t wearing a Guardian’s uniform nor have any of the additions to his uniform that identified him as an instructor. There weren’t many other positions available, which meant he most likely a message courier or recruiter who travelled throughout the Regions doing the odd assignments that kept the facility running smoothly.

From the manner he called Wataru and his gait as he approached, Yuichi decided he was probably Nomad raised and that was probably how he knew Wataru.

Wataru took a calming breath and turned to his approaching friend, making sure to not send him too dirty of a look for yelling at him like that. “Do you make a habit of interrupting sparring, Kawamura?” he asked by way of greeting.

“If that was sparring, I think the match is over. That is unless you had some brilliant scheme in the works where you survived getting your throat cut.” Kawamura looked smug and Wataru guessed there were a few reasons behind that expression: he’d interrupted the two in a pretty precarious moment and he’d witnessed Wataru get beat in a sparring match – something he’d been trying to accomplish since they met. Wataru was about to respond sarcastically when Kawamura turned to Yuichi and extended his hand in greeting. “Yuichi Kazuki, my name is Kawamura. I’ve heard a lot about your progress here over the past eighteen months and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Yuichi looked between the extended hand and the brown eyes that seemed open and honest a few times before shaking hands. It was when their hands connected that he sensed the hostility that lay beneath the surface of Kawamura’s demeanor and it was in the tension of his handshake that he knew he was the source of the anger.

Oh well, you didn’t have Yuichi’s popular reputation without a few people taking offense to it, no matter how little the person actually knew him.

Wataru, on the other hand, knew Kawamura would get protective of him and would take it out on Yuichi in any way he found would work for him. There were so many ways in which this would become irritating.

What better way to prevent the frustration than to call him on it? Wataru had always preferred a direct approach anyway. “Kawamura likes to think he’s my father, mother, brother, sister, and favorite uncle all rolled into one person. Anything he says to you supposedly for my benefit is to be laughed at and promptly ignored.”

Kawamura immediately released Yuichi’s hand and turned on his friend with a gaping expression. “How dare you sum up everything I go through for you into that!” He turned back to Yuichi and allowed some of his dislike towards the teen to show in his expression. “Here’s what it’s really like so listen up. I’m not going to like you any time soon. I have been responsible for Wataru’s safety for a long time now and I’m not going to drop the habit of looking after him just because you showed up. And based on what I just walked in on today, I know he isn’t going to be taking my advice of staying away from you so I guess we’re stuck dealing with each other. If you can accept all that as the way it is going to be, then there may just be hope for you yet.”

Wataru stared at Kawamura with a baffled expression. He never expected his friend to be so upfront with the nature of their friendship just because he’d been called on his overprotectiveness. Then again, Wataru had never actually had a strong urge to know somebody like he did with Yuichi. Maybe he’d just have to get used to the idea that Kawamura wouldn’t be anything but blunt toward the older teen.

He’d just have to wait and see what happened. Yuichi seemed to not be too put off by Kawamura’s declaration, instead choosing to respond by promptly ignoring him and turning his attention back to Wataru and opening a conversation to review their match and what he thought of the younger teen’s skills as a fighter.

His best friend didn’t like this new addition to his life.

His new friend didn’t seem to care about anything but him.

One of his instructors suspected him of illegal use of powers he didn’t necessarily have.

He was still losing fights with the Kazuki family.

So much for stress relief…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my martial arts training, I have actually (accidentally) blocked a bokken (wooden sword) with my hand and I don't recommend it :). The bruising and inability to make a fist for about a week was not worth the one attack I successfully stopped. But, hey, it is an option if one is so desperate.  
> See you next time.


	4. Leaps and Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking chances lead to change...

**One month later**

Time passed quickly for Wataru within the facility and he realized by the end of the first week that he had never been more at ease with his life than what he was now. There were plenty of reasons for him to feel that way, but much of it came down to being surrounded by people who were only just learning to control their powers and it was completely acceptable for them not to know what to do most of the time. It was opposite from how he had grown up where it was just about intolerable to not have complete control at all times because it was dangerous otherwise. There was also a level of acceptance he hadn’t experienced anywhere else he had travelled in his life and would be unlikely to find again. His peace of mind was only proven further in that his abilities had never been more complacent and easy to control.

Furthermore, he now had the constant and comforting presence of Yuichi Kazuki. On his first day at the facility when he had met and parted with the older trainee, he hadn’t expected to be sought out like he was by Yuichi. Following the sparring match they had engaged in – an activity that had become a regular occurrence between them now – Yuichi had spent the remainder of the day with Wataru, only needing to talk briefly with the instructor to remain while evaluations and placements of new recruits were completed. They had finished off the day just talking with each other about whatever came to mind, though Wataru was careful to curb any topic that came too close to his past and the many lies that made up who he to everybody around him. It wasn’t that he was worried that he would slip up – his false history almost felt more familiar to him than his actual life – but he just didn’t like the thought of lying to Yuichi. For someone whose survival had come to rely on deception, it was a strange sensation to feel incapable of doing so because he liked the person. He didn’t have trouble bending the truth to Kawamura – though his friend was familiar enough with him by now that he knew when Wataru was being dishonest – and even Yuichi’s friend Han, who was gradually becoming another regular in the Enlightened’s daily routine, didn’t cause Wataru’s stomach to churn at the thought and act of lying.

He wondered if his hesitation was connected to the sense of calm that just being in the same room as Yuichi brought him, that his heart and Core were picking up on something that his brain wasn’t comprehending.

It wouldn’t be the first time his feelings and actions were guided by his Core, as his current life gave proof of.

These feelings, however, were kept carefully concealed on Wataru’s part. It was difficult to accurately read what Yuichi thought and felt without using any of his abilities – something Wataru was unwilling to rely on – and so there was no way of really knowing if the Empowered teen felt the strength of the emotions between them as well. The prince also figured out very quickly that Han had exceptional Empowered Sensitivity – quite possibly the keenest Wataru had ever known – and to alter the growing connection between Yuichi and himself might expose too much.

His reticence did little to inhibit his interactions, though, and his friendship with the two thrived, well as much as it could with such a guarded person as Wataru was. Unfortunately, his relationship with Kawamura was suffering because of him actually getting close to others than the Gifted. His friend was fiercely opposed to Wataru getting too close to anybody at the facility – he was too accustomed to Wataru keeping everybody outside of arm’s length – and it was made worse by it being the brother of Shohei Kazuki who Wataru was allowing into his life and therefore held greater risk of exposing the hiding prince.

Wataru tried to dissuade Kawamura from putting so much effort into protecting him, but his friend would dismiss him each time with the same rebuttal: “When you give me a real reason to stop looking after you, I will.”

The younger teen had yet to give a satisfactory response.

After all, how could he tell his best friend that all their hard work would be for nothing because Wataru was meant to be found out?

* * *

Wataru was making his way back to his room after his last course for the day when he felt the approach of who he recognized at once to be Yuichi and Han. It was unusual for them to be in this part of the dormitories with their rooms being in a completely different building, but the younger teen dismissed the thought; it wouldn’t be the first time they had sought him out if they hadn’t seen him in a few days. He slowed his pace and allowed the two to close the distance between them without giving away that he had known they were coming without them having announced their presence to him. It wasn’t too long before he was pulled into a playful embrace by Han – a usual greeting the older trainee had found just to irritate the reticent teen.

Han’s manner and attitude had come as something of a surprise to Wataru when he first met the Empowered: the teen was completely unlike any other person he had ever met in his life. What was even more shocking was how he and Yuichi managed to get along as well as they did. As restrained as Yuichi was with the people around him that weren’t friends, Han seemed to be as much in the opposite direction and was always engaged in conversation with whoever he decided was amusing enough at that particular moment. Then there was how much enjoyment Han appeared to glean from just getting on people’s nerves. And yet for some reason he was actually quite popular within the facility and very few trainees held a negative opinion of him.

Wataru tolerated him on his good days, knowing that the teen was good friends with Yuichi.

“Let me go, please,” Wataru said almost immediately. Han moved away enough to look at him. It had been a long and exhausting day for the Enlightened and he didn’t have the same patience he usually allotted to Han and his antics.

“Something’s wrong. You usually give me at least five seconds before you get all stingy with touching. Yuichi, find out what’s wrong,” he demanded of his friend, who was behind him with his face in hand to display his exasperation.

“One of these days you’re going to do this and end up missing a limb and I won’t do anything to help you,” Yuichi had given this warning the first time Han had jokingly embraced Wataru and had gotten a strong blow to his jaw, nearly breaking it, for his action. Instead of taking the warning for what it was, he took it as a challenge to not allow another unexpected strike. He was, after all, a Guardian in training and allowing a rookie to knock him out was unacceptable.

“If he really meant to hurt me, he wouldn’t have patched me up after hitting me,” Han insisted as he always did when anyone dissuaded him from messing with Wataru in the manner he did.

When he had punched the Empowered teen out of reflex rather than any intent to hurt him, Wataru had felt so bad that he had tapped into his Healing abilities and had mended the damage before he remembered that Gifted and Empowered weren’t supposed to be capable of healing like he was. Sure Empowered could accelerate the healing process in their own bodies and some Gifted could affect and increase restorative aspects of plants and herbs, but neither could hold their hand to swollen skin and remove the damage in seconds as Wataru had done. His action had been taken without thinking about the consequences – his urge to not see people around him hurt too great to ignore – and afterward he had panicked and had tried to come up with some sort of explanation. It hadn’t been needed though as Han had gotten so caught up in being hit in the first place that he apparently dismissed and forgot the whole healing thing. Yuichi had allowed the subject to slide as well – having likely realized how much it bothered Wataru to have exposed the ability in the first place – but it was obvious he was itching to question what had happened.

“The day is coming where Yuichi will be made an honest man,” Wataru threatened as his frustration continued to grow as Han’s arm remained around his shoulders. His Post-Cognition was boiling through to the surface beneath his wavering control and he was sure he’d start seeing Han’s life at any second. He was using all his concentration to suppress the power, but his tired mind was making it near impossible.

Yuichi looked at Wataru: something really was off with the younger teen. Wataru was generally a passive individual who didn’t usually outright threaten anybody like he was right now, at least not seriously. He would voice his irritation but that would be it until Han backed off. But today there seemed to be no middle ground between tolerating Han and not being able to stand him and Yuichi wondered if something had happened through the day to set Wataru off or if he was just more tired than he normally was.

He’d had the random urge to see Wataru today – something that happened often in a variety of intensity – and he was suddenly grateful that he’d answered the desire. Unfortunately, if he wanted to actually get an honest answer from Wataru about his state then the first thing he’d have to do would be to get rid of Han and that was sometimes a very difficult thing to do. It couldn’t be helped though: Wataru only really opened up when it was just the two of them.

“Han, let him go,” Yuichi instructed in a tone Han would respond to immediately, which he did and Yuichi watched Wataru visibly relax minutely.

“You two are turning into boring old coots. No fun at all,” Han complained.

“I could always call Kawamura to join the group,” Wataru threatened, his mood lightening immediately now that the pressure of his abilities was subsiding without the physical contact.

Han paled considerably. If Kawamura didn’t like Yuichi, he seemed to downright hate Han because of how he pushed Wataru’s boundaries. The first time the teen had seen Han make physical contact with Wataru, the punch the Enlightened had delivered was nothing compared to the rune Kawamura placed on Han that bound his five natural senses for the rest of the day.

“No thanks, I like to keep my meetings with him as non-existent as possible,” Han replied quickly as he back away from Wataru another step as though merely  being near him would bring Kawamura running.

“Good plan. His temper’s shorter than mine, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now.”

 _Time to run interference,_ Yuichi decided as he grabbed the cloak Wataru was never seen without – making sure to grab low enough that it wouldn’t fall out of place around his head – and used the grip to pull the smaller teen in the direction of his room. Wataru followed the motion easily enough and Yuichi was grateful that such a forward action on his part had been accepted. “Han, you’ve done enough for one day. I’ll catch you later when you’ve become more tolerable.”

Han glared for only a second at how blunt Yuichi had been before he grinned. Every time he pressed Wataru’s comfort zone, Yuichi became more protective of the dark-haired boy and the bond between them became more defined. Sure, he may one day lose a limb for his actions, but he could live with that for helping his friend and the one intended to be protected by him.

Wataru looked back to Han and caught a glimpse of the victorious smirk on the teen’s face before they turned the corner. Han was up to something – had been for weeks – but Wataru couldn’t put his finger on what it could possibly be. Even though Han appeared to many people to be only a few steps above a jester, Wataru had seen how the Empowered used these interactions where he would basically manipulate others’ emotions to hone his abilities. Han was smart and liked to distract others from that fact so they wouldn’t imagine what he was capable of.

“I can’t recall you losing your patience that quickly with him,” Yuichi said, as usual cutting straight to the point now that it was only the two of them.

“I just didn’t feel like dealing with him today. It’s been a long day in training,” he’d been dangerously close to his control breaking on his Post-Cognition and it would have knocked him out to experience anybody else’s life at this moment in his development.

“You would have been alright. I haven’t known you long, but you always do exactly what you want to.”

Yuichi was disturbingly astute in his understanding of Wataru’s moods, as he had seemed to be right from the moment they had met. He seemed to know that Wataru was extremely self-conscious of his control, growing up always on the brink of losing it as he had.

“Everybody loses control at some point, no matter how much training they’ve had, especially when there’s something unfamiliar in the mix.”

 _I must be tired to be saying this so easily,_ Wataru noted absently.

Yuichi took a moment to consider what Wataru could mean by “unfamiliar”. It was a strange term for the subject matter. The lives of new trainees were ruled by habit and order to help their progress. When he couldn’t figure it out, he simply pressed, “Unfamiliar?”

Wataru’s black eyes made contact with grey ones in a manner they often didn’t: sizing Yuichi up for an answer. Figuring there was no harm in explaining further, he considered how best to put his struggle into words. “Everything that happens here is unfamiliar. The people, the dormitories, mess hall, ways of handling powers, all the way down to the clothes is completely different than what I have known.” There was a heavy silence and Yuichi moved his hand from where he still gripped the cloak to brush along the skin of Wataru’s arm that wasn’t covered by the short-sleeved shirt he wore. The touch was brief, as were all the ones Yuichi gave Wataru, but it spoke more than any verbal encouragement. “The only thing that grounds me is you. Not even Kawamura can focus me like you can.”

Wataru had made similar admissions after only a few days of spending time with the older teen. He had been clearly surprised afterward, but he hadn’t tried to retract or change what he had said, merely seemed to accept that it had been revealed and that he needed to accept that he would say things without thinking when Yuichi was involved. Yuichi, likewise, seemed to take it upon himself to try and get him to say such revealing things more often. It only encouraged the Empowered when it seemed like every time he managed to coax these kinds of statements from the dark-haired boy, it would come easier.

Such admissions of comfort were something he would never tire of hearing: he was a Guardian after all and his kind thrived on being depended upon. He felt such joy to know that Wataru depended on him as he wanted him to.

He also knew that it helped Wataru to hear that he felt something similar in return. “Wataru, you know how much it means to me to hear you say that. I know that it takes a lot for you to admit such a thing to anybody.”

He was going to leave it at that, as Wataru’s expression seemed to relax further and he knew he had helped his friend. Then his attention was pulled to where his hand was hovering over Wataru’s arm close enough that he could feel the heat from the smaller teen’s body and he realized – not for the first time – how much he didn’t want to have to pull away from Wataru when he was upset. He wanted to be able to touch this alluring beauty freely and have his touch be forever welcome.

It had only been a month since they had met and yet Yuichi felt closer to Wataru than anybody else he had ever met in his life and he never wanted to lose him.

Well, he knew Wataru felt something similar by his admissions and so all he had to do was return the sentiment. “I feel like I should tell you something just as real to me.” As Yuichi spoke, he allowed the brushing contact he had given Wataru’s arm to return and become a more secure grasp. He was further encouraged by Wataru continuing to accept the touch.

“What is it?” Wataru’s voice was small and the tone was unlike anything he’d ever heard before from the dark-haired boy.

Just as Yuichi was about to speak, a voice called Wataru’s name and they both jumped and turned to see Kawamura jogging up toward them.

Yuichi nearly growled in frustration at the Gifted teen’s interruption. Did Kawamura have some sort of homing rune on Wataru that told him when he needed to interrupt to be the most damaging to their relationship? It seemed to always happen like this.

As Kawamura approached, his eyes fell on Yuichi’s hand which remained on Wataru’s arm and he glared up at the older trainee. He didn’t press it any further than that though as he turned to Wataru. “Word on the grounds is we’ve got royal guard coming for evaluations of new Defenders. They’ll be here within the next few weeks.”

Yuichi and Wataru both tensed at the news for completely different reasons that led to the same possibility: they might be separated.

Yuichi would be among the students evaluated and if he was accepted he would be done at the facility.

Wataru was very likely to be discovered if the Defenders that came knew his true identity as they would sense his presence the moment they entered the facility.

While Wataru’s reaction was exactly what Kawamura expected, he was surprised by Yuichi’s matching response.

“Have you heard if my brother is coming?” Yuichi asked.

“He should be since he has to approve all applications. Why?” Kawamura responded, briefly distracted by his confusion so that he didn’t  remember he didn’t like to talk to Yuichi. Since Kawamura wasn’t interested in the least to be a Guardian or Defender, he had no reason to know how the process went, or that Yuichi had been dodging progression for the past few months before Wataru had come into his life. He hadn’t wanted the responsibility yet.

And now there was Wataru…

“Until recently, the evaluation and approval have been different stages of training. Now it’s done at the same time to speed up the process. My brother won’t allow me _not_ to be evaluated. My training is too far along and my performance is too good.”

“I see. You don’t want to join the ranks yet?”

“There’s something else I need to take care of here before I dedicate my life to the King.” Yuichi subconsciously squeezed Wataru’s arm.

Kawamura noticed the motion as well as how Wataru seemed not to care that Yuichi was still touching him and that more than anything abated his protective instinct. Thinking over what Yuichi had said, a response came to mind that he had to deeply consider before it came out since it could possibly expose more than Wataru would be happy with. Then again, it seemed like his friend was already too far into whatever it was between the two of them and it was only a matter of time before he would tell Yuichi the truth about who he was.

Decision made Kawamura spoke quietly, “The Defenders aren’t only about dedication to the King.” Yuichi’s eyes narrowed in confusion at the statement and the hall became silent.

Wataru’s mind was racing wildly. _If Shohei comes here, I’ll be exposed for sure. Enough people are familiar with me being around that leaving is out of the question. They would be talking about it and Shohei would catch my name and he’d be right on my trail._ Feeling the grip on his arm tighten brought Wataru’s mind back to some measure of focus. Enough so that he could think about what Kawamura had said: his friend had inadvertently opened up an opportunity for Wataru to give Yuichi a reason to stay with him. Defenders held as much responsibility to the children of Noal Nobunaga as for the man himself.  And Yuichi had been different to Wataru right from the start, from getting him to reveal things about himself and his feelings to touch being a manner of comfort rather than an attack on his control over his barely restrained Core. Even now, as Yuichi’s hand on his arm had continued for many moments, he didn’t feel the usual struggle against his Post-Cognition. It was there ready to be used, but that’s all it was: there.

He thought over what his father had told him when he had been deemed old enough to hear about his mother and what his parents had meant to each other. Before Kalen had met his wife, Rei, he had been a very different person. He hadn’t cared about what happened to other people and had even less care for what he did to himself. He had abused his abilities to the point of the brink of death, using his Telekinesis beyond the limits of his Core to where it would damage his mind and his body wasn’t able to sustain him. But the Cores of the Enlightened were powerful things and he would recover every time.

It was in the middle of one of these destructive cycles where Rei had come across Kalen. She had seen the pain that was at the center of his actions and she had reached out to him with her Healing touch and he had responded to what she offered. They had Bonded within a few months of meeting each other and had become the inseparable force of care and strength which had changed the people of the Mineral Valley. After Rei’s death while giving birth to Wataru, he had lost some of his balance and only survived because he had a part of the woman he had loved so completely within each of his children. If not for them, he would have been lost alongside her.

Bonded pairs weren’t meant to survive without each other.

When Wataru had been told about his parent’s history before coming to the Mineral Valley, he had thought that they had had something unique that could only be shared between two Enlightened. It had certainly sounded that way when his father had told him what it was like. Sure, the Gifted and Enlightened had been given ways to Bond but it wasn’t the same as what Kalen and Rei had shared. What they had was beyond what anybody else seemed capable of attaining.

And yet here he was, experiencing something profound with Yuichi Kazuki. The things he was feeling while with Yuichi reminded him of what Kalen had told him of what he had felt after meeting the woman he Bonded with.

And if he was feeling something between them, maybe the reason Yuichi kept after his company was because he felt the same thing.

_Maybe it’s time I took the chance with Yuichi. What if what we have is just like Father and Mother? What if we Bond…_

“Thank you for the heads up, Kawamura. It was certainly something we needed to know as soon as possible.” The tone was official and as close to royal habits Wataru got these days.

Kawamura saw the dismissal for what it was and he nodded his understanding. He turned to walk away with a heavy sigh. Something had been about to happen between the two when he’d approached and he had a feeling he’d just ensured that it would occur. Before his news of Shohei possibly showing up, they might have worked their way out of it or at least let things progress a little slower, but now they wouldn’t back down.

“Damn it. So much for my almighty protection over the absent prince,” he muttered, though he found he couldn’t really be too upset. Wataru was his friend and he definitely deserved some happiness for a change. Kawamura just wasn’t sure where this left him.

* * *

Wataru closed the door to his room behind him and leaned against it as Yuichi stood just in front of him watching him carefully. The air between them had gotten even more charged between them as they had walked toward Wataru’s room and it was to the point where neither one could ignore it any longer. And now with the threat of separation lingering in the back of both of their minds it was pretty much guaranteed something between them would change.

“You were going to tell me something,” Wataru pressed the conversation to begin.

Yuichi remained silent for a few more moments, taking notice of his immediate urge to be closer to the younger teen and deciding that was as good of a place as any to start this conversation. “I don’t want to be apart from you, Wataru,” Yuichi began.If this had happened before Kawamura had spoken to them, he might have managed a more tactful approach but he just couldn’t bring himself to do that now. He had thought that they would have more time to figure out what exactly they would mean to each other but with Shohei making an appearance their hands had been somewhat forced. It didn’t mean that Yuichi’s feelings and desires were any less genuine – they were probably more so because of his fear of loss – it just meant that they really couldn’t beat around the subject like they would have otherwise. Hoping that he had understood Wataru as well as he thought he did and he was not about to have his heart destroyed in revealing what he wanted, he spoke his desire, “I want to Bond with you so you can’t be taken away from me. Please tell me you want the same thing.” Unable to deny the urge to approach Wataru, Yuichi closed the small distance between them and grasped the smaller hand in his own. He sounded desperate to his own ears and only hoped that Wataru didn’t notice is as the weakness he had been trained to see it as. Revealing his feelings like he was now wasn’t the action of a Guardian and yet he couldn’t find it in him to care enough to stop.

Wataru noted the contact and the lack of pressure on his powers that meant more than words ever could. Yuichi was meant to touch him and he was meant to care for Yuichi.

Yet there was one thing between them that could make it impossible for them to successfully Bond: Wataru’s true identity. It wasn’t that he was Enlightened and Yuichi was Empowered since it had been proven long ago that the Core’s nature didn’t make any difference in being able to create a Bond. It was that revealing that he was the absent prince held the risk of breaking the trust between them for his betrayal. The foundation of all Bonds was trust and without it, the connection wouldn’t take form and would shatter. If the connection was broken, it couldn’t be reformed again.

However, despite the risk, Wataru couldn’t ignore the need to try.

“I want the same thing.” Before he could say anything else, Yuichi closed the remaining distance between them and touched his lips to Wataru’s in a gentle kiss that neither one of them wanted to deepen just yet. It didn’t matter though as that contact alone was enough to cause a surge of emotion between the two teens strong enough for their Cores to surge in response. Yuichi body thrummed with the internal glow of the Empowered, his body shaking briefly at the rush of power as Wataru’s heartbeat and skin pulsed in a visible glow of the Enlightened Core within him. After the initial surge, their bodies adjusted to the released power and they pulled away from each other as their equilibrium was regained. They didn’t part much though, only moving far enough away from each other so that they could lock gazes.

Wataru struggled to bring his mind back into focus as he tried to remember what was so important that he had to tell Yuichi before he allowed something as wonderful as that brief kiss to happen again. When he did remember the whole Enlightened thing, he nearly started insulting himself for such a lapse. “I need to tell you something so don’t do that again,” Wataru said in a quiet but accusing tone. Now that he was again aware of his Core, he could feel it responding to his emotions as it reached out for Yuichi, ready to make the connections they were talking about. “It can’t wait and it may affect our ability to Bond.” Yuichi’s eyes narrowed but his proximity didn’t change.

There was only really one thing that could affect the Bonding process, Yuichi had to ask, “You think you could have betrayed my trust in you that much already?”

“I hope not.”

Yuichi’s first thought was that he couldn’t imagine what it could possibly be that Wataru could tell him that would break his trust, but then he remembered their first meeting and how he couldn’t shake the impression that there was more to the younger teen than he was showing the world. That feeling had remained and even got stronger the longer they had spent in each other’s company.

Then there were the inconsistencies in what Wataru had claimed and what he was capable of: Yuichi had seen a lot of Gifted and witnessed how their Cores expelled power and Wataru’s power didn’t match up with any other he had seen. The healing he had shown after punching Han had been the greatest example to this point and now that pulse mere moments ago only added to Yuichi’s doubt that Wataru’s Core was what he claimed it to be.

This left a very profound possibility that would explain why Wataru was so worried about Shohei showing up…

Needing to feel some sort of relief from his rising nerves, Wataru moved Yuichi’s hand to rest against his cheek and just took in the sensation of being touched without having to reign in his abilities. The only ones he’d never have to worry about making contact with had been his family and they weren’t exactly ones who had much interest in showing affection when there were Regions to watch over.

“I’m more than I’ve said,” he began once he was able to make his voice cooperate with him. Now that he started, he knew he couldn’t stop until he had told Yuichi everything or else he would back out. _I can do this._ “I’ve been in hiding for the past two years.” He closed his eyes and allowed himself to recall old habits of introducing himself and his tone evened out from habit never really lost, “I am called Aran and I am the youngest prince of the Nobunaga family.” _And there it is._ Once the words were out, he opened his eyes to face Yuichi’s response though his nerves returned full force once he wasn’t saying something he had repeated countless times.

Regardless of his suspicion of what Wataru would reveal Yuichi was still struck speechless at hearing that he had been right. Then again, hearing for sure that Wataru was one of the Enlightened did explain what he had seen in him on that first meeting in the smaller teen’s posture and manner which he couldn’t identify before now: royal upbringing.

He considered pulling away – not as a denial of Wataru but to be able to better look at the smaller teen while they worked everything out - but his instincts made him feel like that wasn’t what he should do. The anxiety Wataru was feeling was almost palpable regardless of how much effort he was obviously putting into remaining calm and his grip on Yuichi’s hand seemed to be the only thing keeping him from bolting from the room.

As the silence went on for many moments, Wataru’s nerves increased and he felt the urge to explain further if only so that he didn’t just have to wait for Yuichi to give him the answer that he feared hearing. The Empowered teen’s expression was guarded and Wataru had too much going through his mind to figure out what Yuichi’s response was.

Giving in to the urge to fill the silence, Wataru spoke up though he wasn’t really sure what he would say and just let his mouth run rampant. “As an Enlightened, I have two names to go by for protection: the name everybody knows and the one that is really me. My real name is Wataru Fujii. Aran Nobunaga is my Shield.”

“Shield?” Yuichi prompted as it was an unfamiliar term for a power and he wanted to keep Wataru talking in the hope that he would calm down a little if he was left to ramble about things he didn’t have to think about.

“An image of perception influenced by the name we give. For us a name is more than just a word we answer to, it is a representation of our power and the weakness of an Enlightened. If an enemy knows our real name, they hold the risk of overcoming and binding the Core. To protect ourselves, we create an entire identity with its own features and mannerisms.”

“So you go around using the name that weakens you?” Yuichi’s protective instinct flared to the surface at that knowledge and all the emotion was directed toward the safety of Wataru. Was he trying to get himself killed?

Kawamura’s behavior toward him was making a steadily increasing amount of sense as more of the truth was revealed.

“Better than using the one everyone knows. I only have the two and it takes a lot of traceable power to create a new Shield. The point was to disappear, not be found by trying to hide.”

Silence returned to the room and Yuichi reflected on what he knew of the person in front of him. When Prince Aran – Wataru – had vanished two years ago, was barely fourteen years old. It was hard to believe that he could have that great of an understanding of what he did. “You really knew what you were doing when you left your family?”

The response wasn’t initially verbal: Wataru’s jet black eyes flashed green and Yuichi could feel a sudden pressure in the room, which he identified immediately as the smaller teen’s power. He’d never been exposed to anything so potent before and the knowledge that the source of such power was Wataru was both intimidating and humbling. The pressure lifted quickly though as Wataru was able to suppress his reaction to the accusation, leaving Yuichi to wonder at why such severe response had been displayed at his question.

“I have some of the best eyes in the world. They see everything I need them to see and not even time can block my Vision.” There was strength to Wataru’s voice that Yuichi simply couldn’t even consider doubting the words as truth. There was also a tone of respect for the power that told him Wataru wasn’t bragging in the least, just stating a fact. Seemingly aware of Yuichi’s acceptance, Wataru’s eyes returned to their natural dark color. Yuichi figured that meant it was safe to question further.

“So you knew what you were doing, but what exactly was it? Nobody knows what happened to you, not even Shohei.”

Wataru sighed and finally broke the contact between them as he moved away from the door and past Yuichi to sit on the edge of his bed. “There was a series of events that were going to lead to the failure of peace between Gifted and Empowered. War would have broken out again and the Regions would have fallen apart within months.”

“You knew the source of the events?” Wataru nodded confidently.

“It was the announcement of me and my brothers taking over control of the four border Regions while my father retained command of the Diamond Region.” Yuichi had never heard of such an announcement. King Noal ruled all five Regions unequivocally, relying on representatives of each Region to compile information and reports for him but didn’t make decisions while his sons carried out his orders. “My disappearance stopped that from happening and my father retained his position. The people weren’t ready for a shift in the chain of command at that time, especially to a bunch of teenagers. It wouldn’t matter now, but at the time it would have destroyed everything.”

“What about you?” Wataru looked confused. “If the people can handle it now, why haven’t you gone home?” At the clarification, Wataru looked sheepish. There was a good minute of silence before Wataru answered.

“Two reasons: first of all, I enjoy being free. Royal life doesn’t suit me very well – too regal and organized.” Yuichi couldn’t suppress the smirk at that admission. Even though there were certainly small things in Wataru’s actions that were obviously – now that he knew – products of being raised as royalty, the smaller teen had a certain unrefined air about him. He must have felt so oppressed in that livelihood. “Second, I’m just worried about going home and facing my family. I didn’t tell them what I knew and that I was going to leave. My father didn’t know I had developed such strong Vision and so I couldn’t tell him without getting in trouble and then he would have reacted emotionally by continuing with the announcement. The only way my disappearance would change things was if it was complete and honest. I had to cut myself off from the Link with my family and Influenced everybody around me so that they would dismiss my absence from their minds for a few days so I could get out of the Region.” Yuichi was about to ask for clarification when Wataru explained without prompt, seeming to be unable to stop talking now that he’d gotten going. “Nobody could say when they actually realized I hadn’t been around. Whenever the thought entered their mind, it would be overcome with the certainty that they had seen me in passing not too long ago.”

There it was: the realization to Yuichi as to how powerful this person really was. There was no such thing for a Gifted or Empowered as altering or influencing memories. It simply wasn’t possible with the nature of their abilities. Yet here Wataru was explaining his act of doing just that on a somewhat large scale when he was fourteen years old. Yuichi had just barely started practicing meditation exercises when he was that age. Wataru had hid from just about everybody in the Five Regions while they searched for him for two years. He’d spent a month in a facility which exposed him in unavoidable ways as limits were purposefully threatened to challenge developing control of all trainees.

And he’d told Yuichi because he wanted to be able to Bond with him.

Yuichi loved him all the more for the chance he’d just taken.

Wataru’s eyes were lowered to the floor as another silence overtook the room. Yuichi was still there so something had to be going right for him, but it was hard to keep positive about what was happening between them. After all, nothing good seemed to happen to him whenever Aran was brought into the picture. Why should that change simply because he wanted it to work out?

A shadow loomed over him and a warm hand cupped his cheek and lifted his head so that he was looking into emotion filled grey eyes. Yuichi kneeled down in front of Wataru and black eyes followed him carefully. Wataru was obviously still defensive about what was going to happen and Yuichi decided to relieve the younger teen’s anxiety as soon as possible.

“You’ve done so much for everybody. You sacrificed a life of safety and comfort for the sake of all the people in the Regions. You are a special person, Wataru Fujii.” Wataru’s eyes filled with an array of emotions. Yuichi could tell he was trying to keep from getting too hopeful though. “Even now, you risked being able to Bond in telling me the truth and you didn’t have to.” Yuichi’s hand moved from his cheek to card through his hair and rested on the nape of his neck and Wataru’s eyes fluttered at the comforting sensation. “I think it’s time someone thought about you for a change and I’m more than willing to be that person. I love you and I want to Bond with you.”

Wataru exhaled in relief and his lips were overcome by Yuichi’s once again. He relaxed instantly into the feel of Yuichi’s acceptance of who he was as his hands hesitantly reached out to increase his contact with Yuichi by resting on the chest in front of him. Yuichi other hand moved around his back and pulled him closer against him. The increase in physical contact made Wataru’s body heat spike but he still felt no pressure on his powers and he couldn’t help but let out a small moan of relief.

This could really work.

Yuichi pulled away slowly but stayed close enough that he could still feel Wataru’s breath on his moist lips. Wataru’s eyes stayed closed as he attempted to gather his rampaging thoughts into something resembling order, a task made somewhat difficult by Yuichi’s continued close proximity. If he was going to stay so close, he just wanted the other teen to kiss him again.

“Are you okay?” Yuichi asked after a pause when Wataru still wouldn’t open his eyes. Wataru let out a soft laugh at Yuichi’s concerned question.

“I’m fine, you just aren’t very encouraging of collected thinking for me.” Yuichi felt a rush of pride strike at that comment. He couldn’t keep the urge from continuing to agitate Wataru from occurring and he leaned forward again and pressed another chaste kiss to Wataru’s lips. Just as the other teen responded, he pulled back and smirked at the frustrated growl Wataru let out as black eyes finally opened to glare at him. “That wasn’t funny.”

“It was on my end.”

“You do realize that we can’t actually Bond if I don’t have myself under control, right?”

Deciding that he had plenty of time to mess with Wataru once they were Bonded, he threw something out for the Enlightened to focus on other than his close contact, which he wasn’t quite willing to give up yet. “So how does this work for an Enlightened? Gifted and Empowered have something tangible, like a piece of jewelry, that has a great amount of their power imbedded in it that they give to each other and it interacts with their Core and creates the Bond between them.”

“It’s the same principle, but without the objects. I will expose the core of our powers and they will reach out to each other and the contact will fuse them together. The interaction is much more potent and we will be a lot closer than other Bonded pairs in a much shorter amount of time.”

Yuichi couldn’t have been happier to hear that. His Bond with Wataru would be better than any other Bond. He would have something with the dark haired teen that nobody else would have. On the other hand, the mention of their Cores was intimidating. Cores were the source of all abilities for any kind of power and manipulating them on the level Wataru was talking about was something few Empowered were just beginning to experiment with. It was dangerous work since one wrong move would kill them.

Then again, Wataru _was_ an Enlightened and it _was_ his parents who had taught everyone in the Mineral Valley all about what Cores were and what it meant to Bond in the first place so it might not be as new of a concept for him. His explanation had been rather pointed and seemingly informed.

“Then let’s begin. What do I need to do?”

“I don’t know. Just bear with me.” Wataru had never exposed another person’s Core before and he was only slightly familiar with the concept, despite it being a relatively basic skill for his kind. He thought back to the brief explanation he had been given when his father told him of how he and his mother had Bonded so long ago. The way it was described, it was pretty straightforward and easy as long as he stayed in control. Sure there was the complication that he had never tried to interact with the Core of an Enlightened or Gifted but it shouldn’t be much different than what he had done with his own Core as long as he stayed calm. He just had to trust that his powers wouldn’t do anything to hurt Yuichi and he focused on the task at hand.

_Work your way through the barriers of the mind and body. Just be careful in how you do it or the Core will strike out defensively and you will be hurt. However, if you are close to the person, the barriers should part for you without resistance. Once the Core is exposed just let your instincts guide you. We are meant to be a part of each other and our kind just happened to be able to be able to make it happen easily._

That was what Kalen had told him about manipulating someone’s Core for the purpose of Bonding.

Deciding there was nothing but to move forward, Wataru managed to clear his mind of anything else except Yuichi and focused on the first task: a physical connection to work from. His hands trailed up Yuichi’s chest and neck, searching for what felt right. When his hands settled on Yuichi’s cheeks, he felt something click in his mind and he left his hands in place. He was close to something, but it still wasn’t right. His eyes focused on the teen in front of him and the intense gaze staring back at him. He was able to focus a lot better now that the intense emotions brought on by their confessions to each other had somewhat passed. Now he was able to reign in his powers and what he would need to do to draw out Yuichi’s Core.

It was more out of simply needing more physical contact that Wataru’s head touched Yuichi’s and he gasped at the flare in his sense of the Empowered that told him he had found what he needed to move forward with this process. He focused on the feel of the source of Yuichi’s powers as it pulsed in time with his heartbeat, settled in the depths of Yuichi’s mind.

So the whole being close to them was a little more literal than he’d thought…

Yuichi’s eyes narrowed slightly as he felt a strange sensation spread throughout his body. His powers were flaring to the surface without him calling on them and he could swear they were affecting the air around the two of them, despite that it was impossible for them to do so. Had Wataru drawn out his Core? Was this what it was like when someone interacted with Cores? As if in response, his body temperature spiked and his sight blurred as all the types of Vision he was capable of seemed to try and take priority all at the same time.

Wataru noticed the change in Yuichi’s demeanor and felt him try and regain control of his powers and his fingers tightened against Yuichi temple to get his attention away from the task. “It’ll pass in a minute. Your Core is just responding to freedom. I’m going to draw mine out now so try and stay focused on something physical or your Vision will make you go blind.”

Yuichi nodded his understanding and quickly picked Wataru’s hands gripping his face as his focal point since it would probably defeat the purpose if he chose something to look at. He felt the varying strength in Wataru’s pressure on his grip as his attention shifted inward to pull forward his own Core. The nearly immediate response told Yuichi that Wataru was much more familiar with manipulating his own Core like this and made a mental note to ask him about that later. The air around the two teens seemed to come alive with activity as the source of Enlightened abilities was exposed to the room and it released a burst of energy as if it was breathing a sigh of relief. Yuichi found himself wondering what the Cores looked like and he wanted to satisfy his curiosity, but he could still feel how his own abilities were flaring in activity, the amount of power he was exuding seeming to increase now that the Enlightened Core was also released for it to interact with.

Wataru, for his part in directing this interaction, allowed his control over the Core to remain lax as he turned his attention back to Yuichi.

_Cores are meant to reach out and touch each other. That’s why we can Bond whether we’re Gifted, Empowered, or Enlightened. We’re just the only ones of us right now that can draw the Cores out. Once the Cores are exposed, all you need to do is guide them together and they’ll do all the work for you. Then just put everything back where you pulled it out from._

His father’s explanation echoed in his mind as he altered his focus to maneuver the Cores toward each other. It didn’t take much prompting before Wataru felt his power reach out and make contact with Yuichi’s. Yuichi drew in a deep breath at the same time and Wataru knew he felt what the Enlightened was experiencing in the contact being made. There was nothing wrong with what they had chosen to do. _We feel the same…_

The Bond didn’t need too much time and within seconds, Wataru felt his Core settle down – as if it was content with what had just happened – and he pulled it back into where it belonged deep within his heart. He then turned his attention to the Empowered Core and worked to replace it within the depths of Yuichi’s mind. Once the task was complete and things were back as they were supposed to be, Wataru suddenly felt the strain of what he’d done and slumped against Yuichi heavily. He was immediately embraced carefully and Yuichi steadied him, his grey eyes filling with concern at his sudden inability to stay upright.

“Wataru?” Yuichi’s tone matched his gaze as he called out to him. Working to pull himself together enough to sit upright without help, Wataru responded without hesitation.

“I’m fine, that was just a lot of work. I mean, damn, that was hard.”

Yuichi rose up enough to sit beside Wataru on the bed as he shook his head at the response. Wataru’s time as a Nomad and the vocabulary that went along with it always came through when he was tired or stressed. He was about to respond when he realized that he was aware of Wataru’s exhaustion by more than how much weight the smaller teen was putting on him in order to stay upright. He could feel how deeply Wataru was worked in order to Bond them as he had done.

They were Bonded.

“I love you, Wataru,” the words escaped him before he could put another thought together, not that he would have stopped himself from saying it again. Wataru looked up at him and, despite his exhaustion, his entire face lit up in a smile unlike Yuichi had ever seen before on anybody. If he thought Wataru was good-looking before, the teen was downright beautiful at the moment. He would do anything to see that expression again.

“I love you, too, Yuichi,” Wataru responded and he leaned forward and their lips met once again as if punctuating the newly formed Bond between them.


	5. Sibling Rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family matters...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Getting the chapter up soon" turned out to not be as soon as I'd intended. Yay being a responsible adult...

Following their Bonding, things had continued to change for Yuichi and Wataru. The first few months of Bonds were the most fragile – even for one created by an Enlightened – and so accommodations would be made for them. They had requested and been granted a shared room since more time together helped strengthen the Bond more than anything. Since Bonds were treated with such respect, there wasn’t even the question from those who ran the facility of if they had done something they shouldn’t have or anything of the like. It was known that Bonds didn’t happen if they weren’t supposed to.

The day after Wataru had initiated the Connection between them – before the Enlightened could realize the potential risk – Yuichi had handed him one of a pair of rings. It was a simple silver design with a thin line of gold through the center and Wataru had felt immediately that this simple band had at least a few years’ worth of exposure to Yuichi. This would have been what created the Bond if he hadn’t chosen an Enlightened. When Wataru asked why he had two, Yuichi explained that the one he kept was going to be given to who he chose to Bond with to be exposed to their power and then what they had of each other would be the same. It was something his parents had done and had struck Yuichi as important so he chose to do the same thing. After hearing that, Wataru had asked for the other ring and had quickly exposed it to a few minutes of his Core’s power so that there really was a part of him within it. It wouldn’t mean anything to the actual Bond, but it would mean something to them. And as he slid the partner onto his ring finger, the Enlightened’s heart swelled with emotion and he felt like something just as important as actually Bonding had been passed between them. So while this monumental change shifted everything about the pair, it only really affected a few people.

Han was being insufferably smug about the whole thing.

Kawamura was becoming strangely distant.

Wataru was settling into being able to be completely honest and open with someone for the first time in a long time.

Yuichi was a nervous wreck.

At least that’s the impression Wataru got when he walking into their room and Yuichi was pacing around the limited space. “Hey Yuichi,” he greeted as he slipped his cloak from around his shoulders and hung it across the back of a nearby chair. Yuichi turned in his pacing and walked over to Wataru and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead – a habit he’d developed quickly since he didn’t have to lean down to do so and it reminded him of the moment of their Bonding. Before Yuichi could back away, Wataru grabbed his arm and stretched to close the distance to touch his lips to the taller teen’s in a proper kiss, causing a small smile to cross his partner’s face. “What’s going on?”

“I just heard that Shohei is at the facility. He’s going to start reviews tomorrow,” Yuichi explained, watching Wataru closely for his reaction.

Wataru suppressed his initial urge to grab his cloak right back off the chair and make an immediate exit. He had spent so long staying away from anything and everything remotely related to the Defenders it was difficult to shrug that reaction. Anyway, he wouldn’t be able to just disappear as easily now that he was Bonded – it would be a long time before they were close enough for his powers to cover Yuichi as they did him.

“Oh,” he simply responded as he pulled the chair out to sit in it heavily. “I thought we’d have more time for our Bond to get some solid foundation.” It had only been about ten days since Kawamura had told them about Shohei’s impending visit and Wataru had been hoping a few weeks would mean something closer to a month away as it usually did when travel between Regions was involved.

Yuichi crouched in front of him and took his hands in a secure and comforting grip. “Our Bond is strong, Wataru, strong enough to take off like you want to.” Wataru leaned forward and rested his forehead against Yuichi’s. “Why don’t you just Look and see what might happen?”

A heavy sigh preceded the answer. “I haven’t tried to Look at anything since I left the Diamond Region. I’ve been too afraid of what would happen.” Being able to Look through time, even toward the future, with as much clarity as he wa capable of was the ability Wataru feared the most. The effects using the ability had always been unpredictable and never good. In addition to making his abilities go rampant and difficult to control for days afterward, he had fallen into a coma more times than not, especially when he Looked forward to the future.

Yuichi must have picked up on the underlying emotion because he lifted one hand to card through the hair at the nape of Wataru’s neck to help soothe the feeling.

“What do you want to do? I’ll agree to anything you choose.”

“But Shohei is your brother.’

“And you are the one I’m Bonded to. I chose to dedicate my life and protection to you. Shohei will accept my choice – he made the choice just the same when he Bonded to his wife. He might even commend me for doing my duty by Bonding with the absent prince.” Yuichi finished with a teasing grin. He turned Wataru’s identity into a joke or subject of teasing at every opportunity. With Wataru’s personality, the opportunity came up pretty often.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Wataru declared as if Yuichi hadn’t spoken. “I’ve known that I would be exposed at some point while at this facility, but didn’t know the extent of the exposure.” He let out a wry laugh. “I was hoping that the extent of my exposure would be limited to telling you, but it looks like I’m going home. Should have known it wouldn’t work out easy for me.” Yuichi’s expression made it obvious that he wasn’t satisfied with Wataru’s decision, so he pressed on. “I can’t _not_ go back to being a Nobunaga, no matter how much I love the freedom. My family needs me and I am an Enlightened. There’s just too much responsibility to shirk forever.”

“They’ve done fine without you for two years,” Yuichi muttered before he shook off his dark mood: Wataru’s place as prince wasn’t something he liked and Yuichi wanted his partner to be happy. “Don’t think that I’m going to take my responsibility to you any less serious. Your family and my brother are just going to have to get used to that.”

Wataru smiled as his mind wandered over the image of the very protective Yuichi going against his very protective father and siblings. Despite his passive nature, he couldn’t help but think the disputes that would be guaranteed to occur would be amusing to no end. His smile must have given away the thought process because Yuichi tugged on the hair he had been playing with hard enough to be irritating.

“So we stay and face Shohei?” Yuichi asked one last time.

“We stay,” Wataru confirmed. “Besides, the worst that’s going to happen is we’re going to get lectured.”

“Have you ever had Shohei lecture you?” Yuichi asked, only joking a little.

“No, I always put on my ‘best behaved little prince’ act for your brother. He’s kinda scary when he’s in teacher mode, even more so when he goes all ‘Defender’ on someone.” Wataru shuddered at the thought of the last time he’d witnessed Shohei’s powers at work. “I don’t wish Shohei on anybody.”

“I don’t either, but you’ve never met my niece and sister-in-law. Now there is a pair I wouldn’t wish on my enemies.” Yuichi stood up, leaning forward enough for another touch of lips against his partner’s. “Well, we have maybe until tomorrow until you get to face off against the big guy. Do you have preferences on how to spend the time?” Yuichi finished in a tone Wataru hadn’t heard from him before. Wataru narrowed his eyes suspiciously and Yuichi glanced over at the bed and then back to Wataru with a suggestive raising of his eyebrow. While the two were sharing a bed, they hadn’t done anything beyond kissing and holding each other as they were both settling into intimacy with another person.

Wataru felt his face heat up at the implication but he was able to quickly dismiss the flustered reaction and gave Yuichi a glare.

“Let’s try not to do something else to infuriate your brother. We’ll strengthen the Bond through our regular training. Just one more afternoon the Bond will be secure enough for us to not worry about damaging its progress.”

The rest of the day was spent going through drills they had developed to strengthen the Bond between them. The drills were designed to expose their powers to each other in different levels of intensity. The constant interaction between them became the foundation of a stronger Bond between them.

The next morning, Shohei sent an official invitation to Yuichi to attend an evaluation of his capabilities as a Guardian and the chance to be considered for a position as a Defender. Yuichi dressed in his uniform while Wataru – who the invitation extended to because he was Bonded to Yuichi – settled for more comfortable attire, complete with cloak and hood drawn. They made their way to the training grounds where the evaluation was supposed to take place in nervous silence over what was going to happen.

Stopping right outside their destination, Yuichi pulled Wataru against him and pushed the hood back enough to see his partner’s dark eyes. He could see the nervous edge to Wataru’s eyes and he leaned down to kiss him deeply, feeling like he needed to show any bit of intimacy he could to calm the smaller teen down before he did bolt like he must still want to. It seemed to work as he ended the kiss and moved away enough to see a dazed smile on Wataru’s lips. “Voyeur,” Wataru accused as he pulled away from Yuichi as his face turned bright red. Seeing a smug grin on his partner’s face, he pulled his hood forward and back into its place. He turned his back on Yuichi and made his way into the building that had come to represent his exposure.

There were a few other Guardian trainees present – the evaluation was split into numerous brackets to make it easier on Shohei to adequately evaluate them. There were six Defenders besides Shohei present to help with the administration of the tests, but it was the eighth visitor that froze Wataru in his place just inside the door. Yuichi looked at Wataru in confusion as all willingness to proceed seemed to drain from the smaller teen.

“Wataru, what is it?” he breathed out as he mouthed the words subtly, knowing that the Bond would carry the message to Wataru despite him not actually speaking. It was a skill they had discovered in their drills a few days ago and they had been experimenting with the ability ever since.

“It’s Kohaku,” Wataru replied automatically. The response puzzled Yuichi as he went through all the names and information Wataru had told him over the weeks until he locked in on the name of Wataru’s oldest brother who he had always known as Keiran Nobunaga. He quickly understood Wataru’s utter shock as his protective instincts kicked in and he moved to stand between his partner and the one who threatened him even if it was just an emotional threat.

“What’s he doing here?”

“He must be taking a more direct role in the Guardians and Defenders. He does share authority over the defense of the Regions with my father.”

“How long do we have until he notices you?”

“I don’t know. He would have come in with Shohei yesterday and I didn’t have the slightest clue. When I left the Diamond Region, I severed the link between us so he might not notice unless I expose myself.” Yuichi bristled at the thought of anyone else having some sort of connection with Wataru. “As long as the link has been severed, it shouldn’t be easy to re-establish, brother or not.” Wataru was obviously saying whatever went through his mind and Yuichi stopped the flow by grabbing his hand and shooting a burst of power into the smaller teen – another trick they had found in their training that helped the Enlightened focus. It worked as Wataru gasped and nearly responded with a burst of his own but caught himself in time and squeezed Yuichi’s hand gratefully instead.

“You’re fine, babe." Wataru shot him an irritated look for the endearment and he smirked back before turning more serious. "Kohaku being here doesn’t change what you’re going to do.” Yuichi did his best to convey the confidence Wataru needed to actually hear.

They were cut off by Han’s voice calling out to Yuichi as the teen walked up to the pair. “How are my favorite little lovebirds doing?” Noting the tense posture of both teens, Han decided to forego his usual embracing greeting of Wataru – he didn’t feel like getting clobbered right before his evaluation. A thought hit him suddenly. “Why are you here, Wataru? Bonded or not, isn’t this exclusively for Guardian trainees?”

“He’s here because we’re Bonded: they need to see if the Connection will affect my abilities and proximity is key for an accurate evaluation,” Yuichi responded with the explanation he had been given. Needless to say, there weren't actually a lot of Bonded trainees at the facility to pull information on and they were kind of just going with it.

A thought occurred to Wataru that if he was really going to have to go back to his responsibility, this was another person who deserved to know what happened. Besides being Yuichi’s best friend, Han had also become someone Wataru trusted and that alone was hard to do. Wataru hesitated for the duration of Yuichi’s sentence before instructing Han to do the one thing that would expose him to the Empowered without him actually having to figure out how to say it. “Look at me.”

Blinking in confusion, it took Han a few blinks more than he’d like to admit to Look at Wataru. He had to push his way past the glare of the Bond between Yuichi and Wataru to find what the younger teen wanted him to find. There it was though: a family link with someone in the room. He followed the link to the other side of the room where the evaluators were and honed in on the person on the other end: Prince Rohn Nobunaga.

His dumbfounded gaze found its way back to Wataru. “Prince Aran Nobunaga?” he whispered.

Wataru nodded shortly and readied himself to knock Han out if he lost it too exuberantly. He felt Yuichi do the same beside him.

“You’re the Prince?” Han squeaked out. Wataru nodded again and tried not to grin. The grin faded though as Han continued talking, though he managed to keep him voice at a controlled whisper. “Well that explains _so_ much. Being Connected to everybody. Not liking to get touched.” He turned to Yuichi then. “Did you know that Prince Aran was supposed to be able to see the past? He used it in his healing to figure out what caused an injury if the person couldn’t say. All he had to do was touch something.” He turned back to Wataru. “Does Kawamura know? Is that why he’s so uptight about you? Wait, does that mean you’re going back to being a Prince? What about Yuichi? He’s going with you, right?”

“Shut up!” Yuichi and Wataru snapped in unison. Han’s jaw snapped shut and Wataru rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

“So you already talked to Prince Rohn then?” Han asked, glancing at the link between the two again.

“No, I didn’t know he was here. I don’t have an active link to him,” Wataru replied cautiously. He didn’t like the implication of the query.

“Well, he probably knows you’re here. The link between you is weak, but it’s certainly active enough for him to feel your presence. You aren’t very good at seeing Connections are you?”

Wataru’s face flushed at Han’s realization. “No, I can’t see Connections at all. It took a lot of tricks to break the Link when I left.” In fact, if he didn’t have such great manipulation of his Core, it wouldn’t have been possible. He should have known this proximity wouldn’t keep the Link from reforming. The threat of the Link not remaining disconnected was why he’d had to leave the Central Diamond Region and why he had stayed way for over two years. Families always had a strong link and the Enlightened had ones that were nearly palpable if they spent a great amount of time with each other.

But that did raise the question as to why Kohaku was letting him think he was still anonymous.

For the first time in over two years, Wataru actually looked at his oldest brother. As if sensing the now informed gaze, Kohaku looked back to him. Once their eyes made contact Wataru felt the Link flare back to life and his brother gave him a reassuring smile that he automatically relaxed at seeing. Kohaku had always had a way of helping Wataru feel safe and comfortable, probably because he was his oldest sibling and had always been capable of so much.

He felt the air around him shift and he allowed his brother to manipulate his senses so that he could hear Kohaku speak, “We’ve got a lot to talk about, Wataru. Shall we find ourselves some privacy?” Wataru shuddered at the unnatural sensation of the manipulation and shook it off.

“Might as well get it over with,” Wataru grabbed Yuichi’s arm and pulled him toward his brother, who led them out of the facility and wasn’t surprised when Shohei followed behind. They moved a good distance away from where people were crowding for the evaluations and made their way toward one of the smaller enclosed training fields not too far away. Once Wataru and Yuichi were through the door, Kohaku raised a multitude of barriers around them to ensure that their meeting remained private.

“Kohaku,” Wataru said in a passive greeting as he pushed his hood off his head to rest at his neck. “Captain Kazuki,” he nodded to Shohei.

“What an incredible surprise to see you here, Wataru,” Kohaku responded. He allowed his instincts as a big brother to themselves by looking Wataru over to take in his general health and appearance. His baby brother looked…content and in control. That was unusual for Wataru as he’d never had the best control in the family. Satisfied with Wataru’s visible state of health, his eyes turned to the light-haired teen standing beside his brother and took in the defensive posture he had taken beside Wataru. He extended his senses and became irritated at the strong Bond between the two, though he could tell that it wasn’t something that had existed for very long. “How nice of you to get yourself Bonded, and to Shohei’s little brother no less. You’ve always been one for rash decisions but this might just be pushing it.” While Kohaku certainly had much more tact in dealing with just about anything, there was no reason to act like Wataru was anything but his little brother.

Wataru had to roll his eyes at Kohaku’s vocal disapproval of his Bond with Yuichi. _Stupid overprotective jerk…_

“Would you please skip the ‘I’m better and smarter than you’ routine? I outgrew it a long time ago,” Wataru bit back. While they had usually gotten along, that didn’t mean he had any more patience with the guy than with anybody else and it only took those few sentences to remember why he would get frustrated with Kohaku relatively often.“You won’t outgrow that as long as you are my brother.”

Wataru actually scoffed at the ego displayed. “I’d say I outgrew it when I started making harder decisions than you when I was fourteen years old.” Kohaku physically flinched at that reminder, but recovered quickly enough, falling into old habits of butting heads with Wataru. They were both stubborn – everybody in their family was – and it usually showed pretty quickly when they weren’t talking about anything official.

“Speaking of that, would you like to inform this regular old Enlightened as to what happened then? Or is it something that only a supreme being such as yourself would understand?”

Yuichi and Shohei exchanged incredulous looks at the growing hostility between the brothers. The two of them had, of course, had pretty serious disputes over the years, but nothing they’d gotten into had been as serious as how these two were going at it. Yuichi had assumed by how Wataru spoke of his family – with the deep respect and obvious love he felt for all his siblings and father – that they were as close as siblings could be so to witness such a negative exchange was completely opposite of what he had been expecting. Shohei, on the other hand, was more shocked at how quickly the two had settled into old habits of interaction. Those two had always been at each other’s throats, especially toward the time Wataru had disappeared. In fact, Kohaku had been certain for a while that his verbal battles – for lack of a more accurate term – with Wataru had been the reason he left.

“Maybe I’d be more inclined to tell you if you actually seemed to care.”

“You’re my brother; of course I care.” Kohaku was almost to the point of yelling, something that usually took much longer for Wataru to accomplish. Apparently his brother was no longer accustomed to dealing with someone who tested his temper.

“And I’m sure I said ‘seemed’ but as usual you didn’t really hear me say anything. How the hell does Father think you should run our defenses?” Apparently Wataru wasn’t as practiced as he thought he’d been either since he couldn’t help but close off his emotions and take on a cold and distant tone.

Yuichi felt something he hadn’t sensed from Wataru in a long time: he was losing control over his powers. The last time that had happened was the morning after he had created the Bond between them and his powers had flared out of control with the new aspect to them that Wataru was unfamiliar with.

“Okay, time to run interference on you guys before Wataru blows us up,” he said in a calming but strong voice while he stepped between the two and took Wataru’s hand. He felt tension leave the smaller teen immediately at the contact and the building pressure around them passed as he regained control. Kohaku, on the other hand, seemed to only get more irritated at being cut off. Shohei noticed the reaction and moved closer to the Prince in case he needed to do more to diffuse the situation.

It wouldn’t be the first time he would have to come between the two resorting to a physical altercation.

“Don’t insult me, trainee. I am perfectly capable of handling my little brother’s temper tantrum,” Kohaku growled.

Wataru bristled again but his control didn’t waver. Yuichi was quick to continue his defense of his partner, “Are you so sure you could handle an Enlightened’s angry response to the origin of the outburst? You have no idea what Wataru is capable of now. Anything you know about him is outdated and limited to what he chose to tell you.”

Kohaku scoffed. “He’s no stronger now than when he left two years ago. I don’t need to look hard to tell that much.”

“Maybe you should consider looking again a little harder before you make any further declarations. Also, consider making sure you can see past the barriers of our Bond. Then again, you are an Enlightened, so of course you considered that before you settled for what you saw on the surface.” Yuichi was being influenced by a combination of emotions and for once didn’t let etiquette keep him from speaking his mind. His partner needed to be protected and he would do so, never mind the consequences of mouthing off to the eldest Prince of the Five Regions.

“Playing with fire,” Yuichi heard Wataru mutter, but the tone was amused and there was the sense that he was simply taking the task from Wataru. Encouraged by this realization, Yuichi prepared himself to continue to play with fire. He had to admit, it was kind of fun to just let go like this.

Apparently Shohei had a different opinion. “Yuichi, you will show respect to Prince Keiran,” he snapped.

“Captain Kazuki, you will show my Bonded respect as well,” Wataru jumped back in before the other siblings could get into anything. It was one thing for his brother to talk down to him, but it was completely different for Shohei to think he could talk down to Yuichi like that especially when he was wrong. “His Bond to me places him at equal status to myself and Kohaku so he can speak however he chooses, especially when it comes to defending me.”

Shohei stuttered at the very true reminder. He had also forgotten how much of a bite Wataru could have, especially when he thought someone he cared about was being pushed around. Not only that, but he so rarely pulled his rank on anybody and the blatant reminder that Shohei officially had to take orders from him was completely unexpected.

Yuichi had never before witnessed this side of his partner as he knew that Wataru didn’t like anything that had to do with being Aran and ordering people around was part of that. Regardless of his partner’s emotions though, Yuichi liked it.

“Of course, Your Highness. Forgive my impertinence,” Shohei relented, though it was obvious he wanted to do nothing of the sort. He did always have a problem being ordered around by the Enlightened children rather than the King.

“Hold on, Shohei. He can’t just throw his title away like he did and then use it whenever it’s convenient for him,” Kohaku re-entered the argument and he turned on Wataru with an intense glare that displayed his many emotions on the topic. “You wanted to leave, you left, and now you’re just another commoner.”

“I’d like to see you try and get that past Father,” Wataru retorted, not missing a beat at the jab. “Besides, you can’t leave being Enlightened behind, which is not what I tried to do. If you really thought about what I did, you’d see my reasons.”

“So you keep saying, but none of us know why you left. Father asked me to find you but there was nothing of our Link to follow, just shredded remains. Even Karin had to give up on you. Do you have any idea what we’ve gone through because you were just gone?”

There was a break in Kohaku’s voice that Wataru had been searching for. It meant he had finally pushed his brother enough to be just that instead of Prince Keiran Nobunaga. Out of all Kalen’s children, Kohaku had always had the most difficulty separating his title from his identity and Wataru had always been the one to try and make him cross that line the most. It probably had to do with being the oldest and youngest children and how that affected what they saw as priorities within the family.

Now that he had been pushed into the emotional response, Kohaku realized what Wataru had done. He had been manipulated by his little brother.

…Again…

“Damn, I forgot how good you were at getting us to react how you wanted,” he admitted gruffly. It was an oversight he was upset to have made, probably only happening because of how long they had been separated.

“Would have taken longer without Yuichi. I knew he’d be a sore spot for you to have to accept.”

The Kazuki brothers were officially lost. Not even Shohei, who had spent most of his teen and adult life around the Nobunaga family, was entirely sure what had just happened. He was sure he had a good handle on the relationship between all the siblings but he was sure he’d never witnessed this sort of interaction between the oldest and youngest of the children.

He also never thought Wataru could have vanished like he did.

There was still tension between the royal siblings, but there wasn’t the hint of hostility that had been present so far. This was as good as the two got though as Wataru opened up for the first time in over two years to the Links of the Enlightened and allowed his brother to mend the thread of power that existed between them. The connection could only be completely mended if there were genuine emotion behind the action.

“If I stayed and took over the Northern Crystal Region when I was supposed to, there would have been war,” he disclosed the truth that he had only told Yuichi. Kohaku and Shohei were stunned by the sudden admission, but not as shocked by the content especially Kohaku. He had Looked to see what the reaction would be to such an action and while he wasn’t the most skilled at seeing the future, he had seen enough to know that it wasn’t bad enough to lead to war. He’d also been present when the announcement of the Princes taking control of the Regions had been made to the people of authority within the Regions. The general response had been cautious for basically being left in the hands of a couple of teenagers – Enlightened or not – but it had been accepted well enough. But when Aran had vanished, it was completely forgotten in light of finding the beloved prince.“It had to be you, didn’t it?” Yuichi vocalized his thought process as this was a topic he considered regularly since Wataru had told him about being an Enlightened. “None of your siblings had the kind of public interaction that you did.”

“Your Healing escapades,” Shohei realized. Those had been infuriating for him and the other Defenders to keep up with and they’d had to just keep up because Kalen hadn’t told them to keep Wataru from doing them.

“As much of a strategic move as really helping people out. Mine is the most effective and thorough Healing out there.”

“How long did you know you were going to leave?” Kohaku had to know how long they’d all missed any signs.

“Since Father told us his decision to put us in our own Regions.” Nearly a year then. “I’ve been moving through the Regions regularly, keeping up with events as best as I could. A few months ago, my powers shifted again and I was in danger of losing control so I enrolled here. Once the application was submitted, I knew I would be exposed while here. I didn’t Look to see anything about being found out, just accepted that it was time to let it happen.”

Kohaku just stared at his brother as he told some of the details of the last few years of his life. He couldn’t help but wonder if he could have made the same choices if faced with the same options. Then something Wataru had said really processed in his mind and his focus shifted. “Wait, you knew without Looking?”

Wataru was momentarily caught off guard at the question before he realized the reason for it. “Right, that developed soon after I left: feelings of what might or would happen without having to actually use the ability. It’s certainly safer for me.”

“Because viewing time is the most exhausting and exposing ability in the Regions.” Kohaku’s reasoning was only partially true as Looking once he had left would have exposed him to the other Enlightened enough for him to be found.

It wasn’t just that though. Wataru wished it was as simple as an easily identifiable power. “It’s like my powers are going through a never ending trial-and-error, like there’s nothing between my Core and my brain and body to say that something is a good idea or nor.” Wataru sighed heavily and his posture collapsed as much as it could while remaining standing. “Every day is like a fight with a part of myself that isn’t supposed to work against me.”

Yuichi reached out and took Wataru’s hand. His partner had expressed this frustration before and so he already had an understanding of Wataru’s struggle. It was part of the reason he tried to develop their Bond so adamantly, to try and take some of that burden.

Kohaku once again seemed irritated by the display of their relationship.

At the comforting contact of Yuichi’s hand, Wataru drew in a deep breath and collected himself, though he also felt the need to draw this conversation to a close. “So, I’m here and you know it. What are you going to do about it?”

Shohei looked behind him to Kohaku. What choice of action did Wataru think there was? He was Prince Aran Nobunaga and he had to get back to that life where he belonged. He chose to voice his thoughts. “You belong with your family, My Lord. You are very important to the Regions, your family, and the Enlightened. Without you, many will suffer as they have in the time of your absence.”

“And the suffering would have been worse if I’d chosen differently. My choice was an informed one.”

“And your family and your position among them?”

“They are still keeping peace without me. I’m the youngest and I have unstable powers. Despite the strength of my abilities, I am a weak link to the ones I care about.” Shohei couldn’t ignore the fact that disaster would follow if anybody found out about the complication Wataru’s powers were. An enemy could target the young teen and overload him to the point of his body and mind shutting down, leaving him defenseless.

…On the other hand…

“But isn’t that part of the point of Bonding with someone, to overcome weaknesses like that?”

Wataru fumbled for a few seconds. He was relying on his powers to present a good enough argument – he didn’t want to go back to being a prince. “Well yes, but we aren’t anywhere close to the level of Bond where I’m being balanced by Yuichi. We’ve only just passed the point where it can’t be severed. And there’s no telling if it will ever be strong enough to compensate for the difference in power between and Enlightened and an Empowered. So, no, I’m not relying on that and neither should you.”

_He’s exaggerating,_ Yuichi realized as Wataru squeezed his hand as he was speaking. He was trying to get Shohei and Kohaku to choose not to have him return to his position. He would go if they demanded it, despite how he felt.

He would sacrifice his life again for the sake of others.

This would not become a habit.

“Does Wataru really need to go back or would you just prefer he did so you don’t risk losing him again?” Yuichi asked. Just maybe he could protect his partner for a little longer on his own. “Kohaku, you know your brother well enough to know he’s doing well here. He’s in control and he has people that care about him because they choose to. How many people does he have like that as a Nobunaga?”

Kohaku’s eyes dropped to the ground. He was getting more conflicted as to what he should say as time went on.

Seeing the doubt of the Enlightened increase, Yuichi pressed the point further, “He has me as well. I will never allow him to be harmed in any way. I love him deeply and I won’t see him become unhappy if I have anything to say about it. As much as you guys don’t want to hear it, going back will mean unhappiness for him.”

“Enough,” Kohaku’s voice was low and even. Wataru’s voice took a similar tone when he was covering nerves. “I believe you, Yuichi Kazuki. You are correct in that Wataru doesn’t want to give up his freedom.” Once again the prince didn’t fail to call it like it was. “So I will do the only thing I can and still feel like I did my duty as a Nobunaga _and_ a Fujii.”

Wataru was surprised to feel Kohaku building up power. There was such elegance to how his brother manipulated his power that Wataru could tell that he was only collecting the exact amount of power he needed to accomplish whatever he had in mind and not the slightest amount more or less. Once the power was built up, it was focused into the intended purpose and Wataru tracked the source to Kohaku’s skill in affecting Connections. Just as the power was focused, there was a flare in the Bond between Wataru and Yuichi.

“I’m giving you the role of Soul Protector. It is the position that our mother held in being Bonded to Father and you will fulfill the role given to you by offering your partner balance and control. You will be recognized as the only one equal to Wataru Fujii and will have the power to protect him from everything that threatens him.” There was a tangible shift in the Bond that caused both Yuichi and Wataru to gasp at the sensation. The shift lasted only a few seconds, but once it faded there was a noticeable strength to the Connection that simply hadn’t been there before. It was as if they had been joined for years instead of the mere ten days it had really been. Feeling somewhat dazed by the feeling, the two looked at each other, then back to Kohaku.

“Your Bond now reflects your true connection to each other: a powerful love and devotion that will see you through anything. More strength will come as you continue to train your Bond as you have been. I will tell Father and our siblings about you, but you will be left alone for the time being. But, we reserve the right to call you in if something comes up that we need you for.”

There was a brief silence as Wataru processed what had just happened and he considered the implications of what this change in his Bond might mean for his powers. He had, of course, heard his mother be called Soul Protector but he had never been told what that actually meant to the Bond between his parents. I had seemed to be a sensitive subject so he hadn’t asked.

There were some things he would have to experiment with.

“That’s fine. You’re heading out tomorrow, right?” Kohaku nodded hesitantly, not understanding the reason for the query. “I’m going to take a Look tonight and I’ll report what I find out to you before you leave.”

Kohaku understood the dangers of the decision more than the Kazukis and wanted to just tell Wataru not to take the risk, but he knew his brother well enough to know the futility of such an attempt. “And if you don’t react well to Looking after not doing so for years?”

Wataru felt warmth continue to seep into him from where he still held Yuichi’s hand and his heart still thrummed from what Kohaku had done with the Bond between them. He considered what that might mean to him utilizing some of his more complex – dangerous – abilities.

“I’m actually not worried.”

* * *

Wataru and Kohaku continued talking for a little while longer, though their tone was much more relaxed now as the older sibling began catching Wataru up on what the other Enlightened siblings had been accomplishing in the past few years. Yuichi and Shohei had moved off to the side and were beginning to do the same, though Yuichi didn’t need much of an update since he had regular correspondence with his sister-in-law.

It didn’t take much for Yuichi to figure that there was something serious his brother wanted to say to him and he was working around to it.

There wasn’t much thought needed to figure out what the topic most likely was either.

“You should take some time and visit Takako. She is quite insistent that you have forgotten all about her since you haven’t visited,” Shohei continued, allowing his daughter to provide an adequate distraction for the time being. “As far along as you are in your training, you should be allowed to leave for a few weeks and not fall behind.”

“I was waiting for when I had completed my training and was taking missions as a Guardian to visit. I told your wife to pass that along to Takako, but I guess she took it as well as could be expected from a five year old,” Yuichi responded, allowing his brother to set the pace until he said something objectionable. Besides, he did feel bad about how long he had stayed away from his niece, whom he cared about deeply.

“If you were to visit, Wataru would have to accompany you.”

_There it is…_ Instead of a verbal response, Yuichi just raised an inquiring eyebrow and waited for Shohei to take this conversation wherever he chose to go with it. Realizing that Yuichi was making him carry on the subject, Shohei sighed deeply. Oh well, it had to be discussed right away.

“I have known that boy since he was born and I care about him just as I care about you. I just want some assurance that this isn’t some juvenile decision that you will both come to regret.”

Yuichi actually scoffed at that. “When have you ever known me to do anything I haven’t carefully considered?” Shohei’s silence was answer enough so he continued. “Have you truly forgotten what it means to be Bonded? If there isn’t a true relationship between those making the Connection, then it won’t even form. Besides, when have I ever treated Bonding as anything other than a matter of greatest severity?” Another heavy sigh was his response this time. “And while I’m fully aware that Wataru can seem to be impulsive, his quick decisions shouldn’t be mistaken for carelessness.”

“I understand that he has grown over the time I haven’t seen him, but he – an Enlightened – still created a Bond with you – an Empowered. It was an irresponsible choice and he should have waited to speak with one of his siblings before going through with it. How did he even know how to do it?” As far as Shohei knew, the children of Kalen Fujii weren’t taught how to manipulate Cores in the manner required to Bond them until they turned 15: it was a great responsibility to be able to control something so vital to life. Wataru had already been gone when he reached that age.

Yuichi shrugged, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to tell Shohei after the fact. “He just figured it out as he did it. I think he used his father’s stories of how he and his wife had Bonded to help guide him.”

That was…amazing talent. While Core Manipulation was a basic ability for Enlightened – according to Kalen – it was still supposed to be among the more complex because every core was different and it supposedly took hundreds of hours of practice before one could operate with any level of precision.

And Bonding Cores directly like Enlightened did was definitely among the more precise tasks.

Shohei had to admit – based on the exchange between the Fujii siblings up to this point – Wataru seemed more capable of what Yuichi was implying than he had been when he left the Central Diamond Region. Sure, he was still as stubborn as Shohei remembered him, but there was certainly an air of maturity to him.

Despite that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the two were making a mistake.

He could only hope that it was his overprotective nature coming through.

Shohei looked back to his brother, who was watching him carefully and he got the feeling Yuichi just might know better than he did about what was happening.

Not that he’d ever admit that aloud.

And that didn’t actually change that Shohei didn’t want the two of them to remain Bonded if it meant they would be in danger. He didn’t have the authority to suggest as much to Wataru – as the teen had pointed out earlier when he pulled rank – and he doubted anything would come of trying to talk Kohaku into making the decision for him. The prince’s decision to improve the strength of their connection was enough of an indication that he was willing to accept his brother’s choice. He could attempt to appeal to Wataru’s other siblings to help him in this, but they all held great respect for each other – especially Kohaku as the oldest – and even if they disagreed they would probably allow Wataru’s decision to hold. Furthermore, it was the Enlightened who had been the ones to show the Regions how to Bond in the first place and so it held a different level of understanding and meaning for them.

“This is the only time I will defend my relationship and Bond with Wataru to you. Don’t bring it up again or you can expect not to talk to me as a brother ever again.” Yuichi’s expression told Shohei how serious he was in that declaration to the point that he didn’t feel like testing it in the least. He didn’t usually allow his little brother to order him around like this, but then again Yuichi had never been so adamant in defending something as he was of this relationship.

Wataru was more important to Yuichi than his natural family and he was ready to prove it to Shohei if necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the books, Wataru came across as someone who was able to pick up on subtleties in people's behavior, able to see what they were really going for when they were being manipulative. (As long as it didn't have to do with people being attracted to him...) He wasn't always able to figure things out but he'd notice something and eventually piece things together. I used that trait as a guide in how he'd interact with Kohaku, just sort of allowing him to have had to develop that particular trait further to be able to hold his own against his siblings as well as survive when he left. That's my reasoning and I'm sticking to it :)  
> Hope to hear from you, no matter who you are. :)


	6. Anchor Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wataru and Yuichi explore their Bond...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten extremely distracted by the Spartacus and Mass Effect fandoms. I swear I haven't forgotten this fic and do still intend to finish it as I still have solid plans for how it will go and end. As I have finally come to breaking points in the other fandoms, I will look at getting further along in this one for the time being and at least catching up on posting what I have written.

A few hours after meeting with Kohaku, Wataru collapsed into his bed. Once they had finished working details out with Shohei and Kohaku - even though his position being Bonded to Wataru removed the point in completing the evaluation for a Defender position - Yuichi still completed the process so as to not raise suspicion of the other trainees. Any inquiry as to them disappearing when they did was chalked up to Shohei wanting to catch up with his brother while he had the opportunity without the teens even having to say anything. Wataru accompanied him as Yuichi’s Bonded.

Wataru suspected Han to be behind those rumors which allowed the Enlightened’s identity to remain safe.

Though his continued safety didn’t mean the sudden rush of attention coupled with the meeting with his brother hadn’t completely exhausted him.

Yuichi wasn’t much better off, though he maintained a level of posture about handling his exhaustion even out of public view. He picked up Wataru’s cloak from where the teen had dropped it on the floor and hung it up. He then removed his own jacket and shoes and put them where they belonged next to the door. Once order was restored to the room – and Wataru seemed more relaxed mentally and physically – Yuichi moved toward the bed and sat beside his partner.

Wataru’s black eyes opened slightly as he shifted to give Yuichi more room to lie down beside him, which he did quickly and they settled into a comfortable silence. Wataru remained on his stomach with his arms folded underneath his head and Yuichi lay on his side with his arm across Wataru’s lower back, his hand fidgeting at his partner’s hip. He leaned forward to place a kiss on Wataru’s shoulder, getting black eyes to open again and look at him.

“That all really just happened, right?” Wataru’s muffled whisper was almost beyond understanding.

“Which part are you having difficulty with?” Yuichi responded, taking on the quiet tone to match his partner’s. Wataru gave him an incredulous look.

“There’s a part of today you aren’t still processing?” The question was more of a formality since he could tell from their Bond that Yuichi’s mind was as active as his own. “How was it to see your brother?”

Yuichi shrugged one shoulder. “It was easier than you seeing yours, that’s for sure.” Wataru let out a soft chuckle at the true statement. “I don’t have the bad parting two years ago to make it tough and I knew I’d be seeing him today.”

“Then why are you so defensive about the topic?”

Yuichi was about to dispute the comment but then he remembered on a conscious level that his partner was Enlightened and Bonded to him. Wataru may not read minds, but he was as close to it as one could get. In the time Yuichi had been learning about what Wataru was capable of, he still couldn’t say for sure where the teen’s limits were.

And as his partner, Wataru deserved an answer.

“My brother and I have trouble seeing eye-to-eye. He’s very controlling, as I’m sure you’re aware, and I don’t like being told what to do.”

“As I’m also very aware,” Wataru couldn’t resist clarifying, to which Yuichi gave him a brief upturn of his lips.

“He was the one who pressed for me to go for Guardian training so I would be eligible to be selected as a Defender.” Wataru gave him a confused look that took him a few seconds to figure out. “It isn’t that I wouldn’t have gone for Guardian, but I have no interest in moving past that. I just wanted to finish my training and work the border guard of the Emerald Region where I was raised.”

“You only cared about protecting your home.” The use of the past tense was on purpose as Wataru knew that Yuichi’s priorities had changed since he’d Bonded with him. Yuichi nodded slightly then pressed another kiss to Wataru’s shoulder. “So Shohei probably wasn’t too thrilled with your choice to stay a Guardian.”

“What gave that away?” he responded with a grin.

“Just that he made you go through the evaluation anyway.”

“It was the only thing he could do. They can evaluate me all they want but it means nothing if I don’t desire the position.”

“I think he forgets that you wouldn’t be accepted since you don’t genuinely care about protecting my family. And now you wouldn’t even be allowed to apply, being Bonded to me and all.” Wataru shifted so that he was lying on his side facing Yuichi. “Can you imagine if we’d met as Prince and Defender?”

The question sparked an image in Yuichi’s mind of meeting some well-dressed, powerful being that Aran Nobunaga represented. He wouldn’t have allowed himself to see the smooth sun-kissed skin, thin figure, silky ink colored hair, or the expressive beautiful black eyes – everything that made Wataru physically beautiful to him. Furthermore, he wouldn’t have let himself see the layers of personality – the genuine care he had for others, the well-concealed intelligence of all he was responsible for, the defensive nature that repressed the confident strength he was capable of showing when he had to – that he had managed to strip away but love each one for what they meant to Wataru.

Wait…Wataru…

“I never would have actually met you, would I?” There was a flash of confusion in Wataru’s eyes. “I mean, would I even know your name? Would I know anything besides Prince Aran Nobunaga?”

“Of course not. Only Shohei as Captain of the Defenders and the one directly in charge of my personal guard knew my real name.”

“I’ve wondered since you told me about your identities what I would see looking at Aran.”

Wataru wasn’t expecting the conversation to head in the direction it had taken. He had asked the question in jest and it seemed like Yuichi had realized something that he had obviously overlooked. He may have just stumbled upon an opportunity to test some of his curiosity over the new capabilities of their Bond.

His eyes slid closed and he focused on a power he hadn’t called on in a long time. “I am the fourth son of King Nobunaga, Prince Aran Nobunaga.” The length of time between calling on this Identity meant he needed more than the name to initiate the change.

Yuichi, for his part, had never heard that tone from Wataru: it was almost cold in its authority and much deeper than he knew his Bonded’s voice to be.

The voice was just the start of the disappearance of what he knew Wataru to be. Black hair faded until it settled at a pale grey shade – an indicator of great power among the Regions – and grew out so that it flowed down to just below his shoulders. Soft features hardened and became more angular and strong. His figure filled out as well to resemble a body built for physical power as opposed to the lithe one built for agility as the Enlightened was. Finally, his eyes opened and instead of the ebony shade he was used to, jade green eyes met his. The features may have been different, but the guarded hesitation was recognizable to Yuichi’s experienced observation. He wasn’t sure what the hesitation was for, though.

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness,” Yuichi jested, though he did pull his hand away from where it had remained around Wataru’s hips. It didn’t matter that he knew it was his partner it still felt weird to be in intimate contact with someone he had never seen before. “Well, you certainly look the part.” The hesitation and nerves receded a little and Yuichi realized Wataru had been apprehensive of how accepting he would be of the different appearance. Wataru really could be stupid at times: like how he looked would change how Yuichi cared about him. Didn’t mean he didn’t have his preference of appearance: _this_ wasn’t Wataru. “I think I’ve seen enough, now how do I get my partner back?”

“I want you to try something.”

It wasn’t the first time Wataru had experimented with how his power as an Enlightened influenced Yuichi’s capabilities as an Empowered. So far results had varied. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“I want you to look at me and only think of how you see me now. Don’t think of anything that is my real face. Once you have that as firmly in your mind as possible, say my name. Just don’t let my real appearance bleed into your mind.”

A few weeks ago, that request would have thrown Yuichi off, but all the training they’d done with each other to strengthen their Bond had redefined his limitations and beliefs about what he was capable of. He had learned how to pinpoint not only minute details of his abilities – and his control had increased exponentially – but also specific thoughts and the strength of his mind had developed beyond what he had ever thought possible.

While the request was still on the difficult side, he still reigned in his concentration and committed his focus to the directions given to him by Wataru. He drew in a deep breath and took in all he could about Aran’s appearance and systematically switched out these details with the image of his partner in his mind.

It was definitely the most difficult thing he’d ever done. After all, Wataru was always on his mind and around him and every time he thought in any degree of his partner his face would pop into his mind. Once that happened, he would have to start the process all over again. But as long as he remained calm and kept frustration from affecting his progress, he knew he would manage the task eventually.

Yuichi lost count of how many times he had to start over or how long he had been at the task, but finally something clicked in his mind and he was able to keep the image of Aran layered over his thoughts of Wataru’s face. He was able to look at Aran and not automatically think of Wataru. His partner recognized his accomplishment and nodded his approval of Yuichi completing what was undoubtedly the hardest part of the process.

Yuichi shifted so that he was resting his weight on his elbow and wasted no time in putting his hard work to the test of whatever it was Wataru wanted to test – after all there was no guarantee of how long his mind would be able to hold onto the dismissal of Wataru’s face. “Wataru Fujii,” he spoke the name smoothly, making sure to keep the words passive and without connection to the person he loved.

He didn’t expect Wataru to suddenly grasp his head in obvious discomfort, possibly even pain. He reached out and touched Wataru’s shoulder, trying to get his attention back on him. Wataru didn’t respond though, only curling further in on himself, trying to relieve some of the pressure he was suddenly experiencing. It took a few seconds for whatever it was to pass and Wataru relaxed enough to release the grip on his head. Yuichi watched as his partner’s features seemed to shift between the two identities until they finally settled on familiar soft tones and black eyes made contact with his.

“What was that?” Yuichi asked, placing his hand on Wataru’s cheek. Wataru turned into the touch and pressed his lips into a brief kiss on Yuichi’s palm as he tried to calm his breathing.

“That wasn’t what I expected would happen,” Wataru muttered, obviously still pulling himself together after whatever it was that had affected him.

“Just what were you expecting?”

“I figured you would be able to see through the Identity. You went a few steps further and actually destroyed it.” He gave a heavy sigh. “That’s never happened to me before and, I have to admit, that really hurt!” Now that the exclamation was out of his system, Wataru seemed to relax again and he pulled a contemplative expression. “You think that’s what it feels like to have your skin pulled off?”

“Graphic description,” Yuichi mumbled while pulling a sour expression. He could always count on Wataru to call things bluntly, though this was pushing it. “Please tell me that that’s not something you think of often.” Wataru had the presence of mind to look bashful as he shrugged, the mood clearly lightened.

“I don’t claim responsibility for what my brain comes up with while I’m this tired. Anyway, there’s two experiments taken care of.”

“Two? What was the other one/”

“Whether or not you’d actually be able to even see me as Aran through our Bond. I figured it’d be better to test that in a controlled environment rather than you suddenly losing me in a crowd because I switched faces on you.”

“It’s certainly the face of a Prince. You looked the part of a warrior.” He allowed a long pause, then added on as Wataru was about to speak. “It was strange, knowing that a softy like you was really behind that face.” Wataru’s response was the closest to a pout Yuichi had seen from his partner since meeting him.

“That’s just unnecessary.”

Yuichi smiled and leaned in to give Wataru a real kiss, the feeling of rightness filling both teens as their bodies moved closer together naturally. They knew how much they belonged together because of the way their minds just seemed to fall into sync when they were so intimately connected as they were now. Part of that was the new level of Bond working to develop a strong foundation on strong emotions, but they both knew they had already had a strangely strong connection to the other.

**_Nothing will take him away from me…_ **

The words echoed through both of their minds and they pulled apart as they realized they had both heard the statement as an echo of two voices speaking at the same time. They’d actually heard the other without speaking. Even now with less of a physical connection, there were whispers of the other’s voice in their mind.

“I thought Telepathy was extinct. There hasn’t been anybody with the ability since long before the war between Gifted and Empowered started centuries ago,” Yuichi whispered aloud, afraid the thought wouldn’t reach Wataru through the multitude of topics going through each of their minds.

“It’s not a common ability, even among my kind. My parents managed to develop a weak form of Telepathy just before they came to the Regions. But even that was developed over decades of training and even then they couldn’t get past needing to be physically in contact with each other.”

“And we accomplished that in a few weeks without even trying. Does that seem suspicious to you as well?”

“Bonds between people carry powers of its own. There are things that pairs shouldn’t be capable of because of their Core’s nature suddenly become possible. It all comes down to what is important to the two Bonded. Telepathy must have developed because it’s important to our Connection.” There was a brief silence before Wataru grinned widely. “Cool,” he finished simply.

Yuichi rolled his eyes at the slang – Wataru had spent too much time around Nomads and their relaxed vocabulary emerged regularly – and pulled away slightly to lay on his side again instead of most of his weight being on the smaller teen as it had when they had shifted position. The mention of their new level of connection reminded him of Wataru’s final promise to Kohaku. He figured they had messed around enough and it was time to get their responsibility out of the way.

“To completely change the subject, shall we get your Looking out of the way?” Again, Wataru’s mind and body tensed at the prospect of tapping into abilities long dormant that he’d never had the best control over. He’d shown great confidence in front of his brother, but he couldn’t do the same when it was just Yuichi looking at him in a way that told him how much the Empowered understood his feelings. Beyond his understanding though, it was obvious that he didn’t agree with Wataru’s decision in the first place, most likely since he had been told of how dangerous it had always been for the Enlightened. That protective instinct rising up did Wataru’s confidence more harm than good and he felt like he could have accepted it better if his decision had been completely supported. But he was obligated now; there was no way he’d tell Kohaku he didn’t do it because he chickened out.

“What do you need me to do?”

Wataru wasn’t sure what to tell Yuichi. Looking at time had never been something he’d managed to completely figure out and he wasn’t convinced his new Bond would make any difference. Yuichi’s hand settled on his cheek and black eyes focused onto his partner, seeing nothing but affection within the gaze, “Hey, you aren’t alone in this anymore. I see your fear, Wataru, and I will be here to get you past it. But I can’t do anything until you let me in enough to do so.”

Wataru closed his eyes, hoping to block out the truth of Yuichi’s declaration while knowing it was exactly what he needed to do.

Of course he trusted the other teen, but that wasn’t the hard part. He was fighting years of ensuring his safety by closing himself away from everyone. Add onto that his fiercely independent nature and it just defied every corner of his personality to let go and rely on Yuichi.

He felt Yuichi shift his position, the hand that had been on his cheek moving to his shoulder and then pressing him back so that his weight was completely relaxed on the bed beneath him. Yuichi followed the change and settled the length of his torso along Wataru’s, resting enough of his weight on Wataru to be comfortable without putting too much pressure on the smaller teen.

“You should Look now,” Yuichi pressed, pulling Wataru’s attention out of his mind and, in doing so, reminding him that he didn’t do so well when he thought things through. “I bet I’ll make a useful anchoring point for you to keep grounded by.” It was a term Wataru used often when they were working together and the familiarity of it urged Wataru into taking it seriously.

As if to punctuate the point, Yuichi pressed his lips to Wataru’s in a brief kiss and with that Wataru suddenly felt ready to give it a try. He’d analyze that later.

With his eyes already closed, he simply turned his attention to tapping into the dormant power that allowed him to see past what was right in front of him. The power flared immediately as all his abilities were always waiting just beneath the surface to be called upon and he felt his awareness of his surroundings slip away. His eyes opened slowly and emerald green irises met Yuichi’s, but it was obvious they weren’t actually seeing the other teen.

Wataru gasped as he was immediately aware of figures around him that he wasn’t familiar with: he was in danger.

Just as he never could, he didn’t know how he was so certain that he was being threatened. When he was Looking at time, he just knew things about what he witnessed. However, it was this disconnected thought that allowed him to remember that he wasn’t actually in danger in reality and he was able to regain control of his suddenly rampant emotions. After all, it was when he got emotional that he lost control and then he saw too much and ended up in a coma.

Once his breathing and heart rate had slowed down again to normal, he was able to recognize that the danger he felt was years away from him. That helped him calm down further as he realized that he had started this off with only one thing in mind to guide his search: is there going to be danger? With that alone, there was no telling how far ahead he could have seen and he was lucky he hadn’t been thrown to something more damaging to him for witnessing.

The mistake came from not remembering well enough how to protect himself against his ability; it had been too long.

Remembering that helped him to pull in his focus even closer into himself. He recalled how the closer to his physical presence he put his focus on, the sooner in time he witnessed. That particular bit of knowledge had taken him seven months and twelve comas to figure out when he had first started learning about this particular ability when he had turned nine. As he reigned in his command over his ability, his vision shuddered away from the image of danger surrounding him and all noticeable details faded from his awareness. This was where he was safe from repercussions since there was no information coming through to him. It wasn’t as easy to get to this place of security as it had been three years ago when he had been figuring out why the Regions were going to go to war and even as he tried to refocus his search he felt his control wavering as brief flashes of information would come into Wataru’s awareness before he managed to dismiss it again.

He was about to get frustrated enough to call it quits when he felt breath whisper across his face and became aware of the heat of Yuichi’s body seep into him in a way he found comfort in. Once the reminder of his partner was brought to his attention, he was also reminded of how Yuichi would never let anything happen to him and he had already proven that night that he held some serious sway over Wataru’s Core and abilities.

So even though Wataru couldn’t actually see Yuichi through the ability he was utilizing, his partner had been correct: he was an anchor point for Wataru. The anchor point affected his control in the instant he saw it as such and he suddenly had as much command over his ability as he was capable of. As Looking was not an ability that was really meant to be controlled – nobody had ever been able to see the future flawlessly without consequence – he still struggled to keep information from breaching his unfocused gaze, but at least now he was starting to think that he could at least do what he had promised Kohaku. With his control finally firmly in place, he allowed his attention to spread beyond Yuichi. He allowed the idea of returning to the Central Diamond Region to influence his vision. With that guide, his sight flashed through countless images and feelings. He didn’t Look too far, not wanting to risk taking in too much information and risking a coma.

After a few seconds and nothing grabbing his attention, he pulled back until he was once again aware of Yuichi’s breath and took some time to reflect on what he’d picked up. He estimated that he’d seen at least a year into the future and it seemed that life had continued without much significance to him personally. Sure, plenty happened around him but it was obvious that the Five Regions didn’t react negatively and fall into a warring state with his return. He figured that if anything important was going to happen then it would have by a year out but life had just ambled on for the most part.

There was one possibility down, as Wataru readied himself for another Look. The next attempt would be influenced by the prospect of him remaining at the training facility.

He was immediately overcome by an overall sensation of danger. This caught him by surprise as he hadn’t even expanded his vision. This sensation was similar to when he had been first found out about the Regions falling to war for his father’s decision, though the impact of this decision seemed to dwarf what he had experienced then.

He kept that in mind as he allowed his awareness to spread out slowly and he was bombarded with a multitude of images and emotions. It was difficult to remain calm – Yuichi’s presence once again kept him grounded – as he realized this course of action would mean he would be putting himself in more danger than he’d been in at any other point in his lifetime. Suppressing the urge to pull away from the danger, he decided to look further ahead. The assault of images and feelings continued – the clarity of each one dimming as more choices affected outcomes making the actual future less certain – and he felt the first indication of being overwhelmed.

He ignored the warning and pushed ahead. Something about his choice held an important outcome; he just had to find it. He had to know if it was worth obvious sacrifices he would have to make.

_There it is!_ It was years away and there was so much pain to get there, but it was worth it. People would get hurt, people he knew and cared about. There would be death because of this choice and the ones that followed and he would downright suffer – Yuichi would as well being Bonded to him – but it would be worth it. Of course there was the possibility of the choices of those around him making this outcome less likely, but it was rare for there to be such a strong likelihood of this future being what occurred.

It was clear in a sea of blurry possibilities.

He was so caught up in finding what he was looking for that he almost missed the fact that he hadn’t pulled away from the vision. He had begun focusing on random images without the conscious reminder of the danger in doing so: he’d discovered that trying to get a detailed Look at the future instead of the glimpses he was working off of was dangerous. It usually resulted in consequences of the coma and uncontrollable power fluctuation variety. Luckily he had been distracted enough by his discovery that he didn’t actually remember any of the details he might have picked up on, the gap between the present and the time he was focusing also helping to keep the images mostly obscured.

He pulled his focus back and latched onto the part of him that felt Yuichi’s body in contact with his own and closed his eyes. He gathered his bearings on his physical surroundings as he rebuilt his mental barriers around the ability to Look through time.

When his jet black eyes opened again, the first thing he was aware of was exhaustion, closely followed by pain. His eyes burned and everything was blurred and discolored. It would take anywhere between a few minutes and the rest of the night for his vision to return to normal and a full day for the pain to fully dissipate. The physical exhaustion was a result of using so much power and should fade within a few hours as his reserves of power were restored. He did a quick assessment of his mind and body, searching for more dangerous side-effects, and after finding none he finally allowed himself to be aware of Yuichi still above him. From what he could tell, the older teen was in the same position as when he had started, one arm on either side of his head and his body stretched out along Wataru’s.

“How long did that take?” was the first question he thought to ask. It wasn’t usually a quick task to Look through time and it was impossible to be aware of how long he had been at it.

“About twenty minutes. Are you alright?” Yuichi had to put his concern to rest. Wataru was obviously not really looking at him as his eyes weren’t focused on Yuichi’s eyes as they normally would when they were this close to each other and his breathing was rough and seemed to be causing him more trouble than it should.

“Just the usual temporary blindness and ache in every muscle imaginable. It’ll pass by tomorrow.”

Only slightly relieved to learn that they were short-term ailments, but still not happy that Wataru was experiencing them at all, Yuichi relaxed ever so slightly. “I take it this isn’t a skill meant to be used on the fly in a high stakes situation,” Yuichi offered a brief reprieve topic, deciding to give Wataru some recovery time before he asked about what he had found out.

“Not really, unless Looking alone was what saved me. I’d probably go into a coma for my trouble…” The last part was mumbled in frustration. It was obvious how deeply Wataru didn’t like the ability and what it did to him. “Anyway, I didn’t find any significant difference between staying and going back so I’ll tell Kohaku that I’m going to stay. Being here is serving a purpose for me so I won’t mess with that. Besides, being Aran means being responsible and having to watch what I say and do and that just isn’t something I’m looking forward to going back to.”

“I can’t imagine why. You’re just the embodiment of etiquette and formality.” Wataru gave Yuichi a dirty look, or at least an amusing attempt since the gaze was focused on the ceiling over Yuichi’s shoulder.

The older teen shook his head and allowed his body to relax as he shifted to lie down completely beside Wataru and pulled the smaller body against him, feeling content that things wouldn’t have to change for them for the time being.

As Yuichi relaxed beside him without any hesitation in believing that what Wataru had told him had been the complete truth, Wataru found that he couldn’t follow along no matter how much he tried. He couldn’t believe how easily he had withheld the truth from Yuichi now when he had been so upset about lying about who he was up until they had Bonded. He had opened his eyes with every intention of telling his partner everything he had learned and based his decision on, but once he heard Yuichi’s concerned voice ask him first and foremost about if he was okay, he couldn’t keep the lie from slipping out.

He had known in that question alone that if Yuichi had been told of just what they would go through because of this choice, there was no guarantee that he would understand why Wataru would still go through with it. Wataru wasn’t sure he could face anything that was coming if Yuichi wasn’t there at his side. So he had fallen back into habits he had thought discarded, at least where Yuichi was involved, and had lied his ass off.

But he couldn’t take the chance: he had to do what was best for the Five Regions, no matter what he had to risk. That was what the Enlightened did if his parents were any example to follow. After all, they had given up being with everybody they had known and who shared nature of Cores to bring peace to this land.

It better be as worth it as it had felt in his vision.


	7. Awareness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The future begins...

Chapter 6: Awareness

“Fujii!” Wataru stopped and turned toward the unfamiliar voice calling his name. A young girl – probably a newer trainee than he was based on her age and the generally unblemished nature of her uniform – jogged the rest of the distance between them. She handed him a small envelope and he took it and bowed his head slightly in thanks. She returned the bow and jogged off to fulfill her next task. Most new trainees were used as messengers in their first few weeks to help them learn the layout of the facility and become familiar with other students. He’d managed to avoid the obligation through whatever Kawamura had put in his application and had been given a generic map to use until he’d gotten a feel for the place.

Turning his attention back to the envelope he opened and read the request to accompany Han on a scouting mission of the border between the Eastern and Southern Regions. The Guardian there had reported seeing indications of Vagabonds in the area and wanted someone else to come investigate. He checked the time indicated for departure and changed direction to head back toward his room to pack for a few nights of sleeping outside.

It had been just over six months since Kohaku and Shohei had visited the facility and Wataru was relieved that he hadn’t had any further contact with any of his family in that time. Not that he didn’t care about them and didn’t want to get back in casual contact with at least some of them, but no contact meant that he could stay away.

It had been about two months – just after he had turned 17 – since he had first been approached by the Guardians in charge of the facility, asking him if he was interested in taking on missions with other advanced students. They had told him how his instructors had been impressed with his progress and believed him to be skilled enough to be of use to the Guardians. This wasn’t the first time such an inexperienced trainee had been pressed into missions, they explained, and it wasn’t necessarily rare for such an occurrence. After all, people learned at different paces and some just didn’t need long before they could have a complete handle on their abilities.

As an Enlightened, Wataru had been manipulating his powers for practically his entire life so there was no surprise that he was able to make such notable progress. He was actually demonstrating at a much lower level than he was capable of to ensure that everybody continued to believe that he was Gifted.

Yuichi had been given his first mission in the same visit as he had completed his own training and now all he needed was experience on missions. It helped things along that Shohei had recommended during his visit that they begin assigning him as soon as the Bond was strong enough for them to remain apart for days without their powers destabilizing.

So, with that making his decision much easier, Wataru had accepted the offer to be useful on the condition that he only be assigned to missions with Yuichi, Han, or Kawamura – who had been pressed into more direct service to the facility instead of completing tasks beyond its walls because of a shortage in advanced trainees available. His condition was accepted and he was always sent along classified as backup to the more experienced trainees. This suited him just fine as he preferred to take a supportive role in most of what he did. It allowed him to keep out of direct attention while giving him the chance to be of some use again.

Thinking about having to leave the facility – he would be travelling close to the border between Regions on this investigation – brought his mind around to his partner. Yuichi was on a mission already, having left the night before and he wasn’t due back for another day or two. Wataru was usually assigned to the same missions as Yuichi because of their Bond, but the assignment they had given the Empowered only required one person and so Wataru had stayed behind for the first time since they had started this new aspect to their life at the facility. It seemed those in charge realized just how hard it was for him to not think about being away from his partner when there wasn’t really anything to keep him occupied. Not that this was surprising as Wataru and Yuichi weren’t the only Bonded couple within the facility and there were some aspects of that status that were experienced across the board.

Wataru arrived at his room and gathered what he needed quickly, already having most of his gear stored together and ready. He loaded his travel pack, then adjusted his cloak over his shoulders and pulled the hood up and settled the pack into place. A knock on the door caught his attention and extended his senses to check who was on the other side of the door, then invited Han inside.

“I just heard the best news in days, Wataru,” Han exclaimed as he walked into the room. “I get to take you on a mission. Isn’t that great news? I think that’s great news. You are like the best backup I could ask for!”

Wataru sighed as Han seemed to want to go for annoying him as soon as possible instead of rationing out his aggravation over the next few days they would be in each other’s company. Knowing that the older Empowered could talk endlessly if undeterred, Wataru called out a short, “Han!” in an authoritative voice. It was a tone he didn’t use often – he considered it his “Prince tone” – but it worked to shut the older male’s rant up and that’s all Wataru cared about. “It’s great that we get to work together, but could you please keep in mind that I’m being assigned with them thinking I’m Gifted. I can’t do anything that I shouldn’t be able to.”

Han sighed dramatically. “Stupid verbal reports to lie seeking Guardians. I want to see an Enlightened in action.”

“It’ll still be Enlightened power and I didn’t know we were expecting to need my power.”

“We’re not, but I can still be excited by the prospect. Anyway, we’ll be investigating a report of possible Vagabonds in the area. The outpost where the Guardian made the report from is one of the smaller single person sort of positions and so he can’t actually investigate since it will pull him too far from his post. So we get the job, even though most of these reports don’t amount to anything but a break from every other day here at the facility.”

Wataru actually rolled his eyes at how Han had decided to explain absolutely everything to him like he had. “You think I don’t know defensive protocol? My family designed it from scratch when the Vagabonds first challenged our boundaries.”

“Yeah, yeah, you guys keep the world going. Now are you ready to do or not?”

“I should hurt you for that. Let’s get going.” Wataru passed a widely grinning Han and led the pair as they made their way out of the dormitory and off facility grounds.

It took nearly a day to reach the point in the border between regions, then another few hours to get to the outpost where the report originated from. At that point they were able to get a more detailed report of where they would be investigating. Even though they knew it wouldn’t be too close to the outpost since they had been contacted, they weren’t expecting to be at least another 2 hours of direct travel away. After only a few seconds’ pause, Han decided that they weren’t going to do it that night and to the Guardian on duty to go home for the night and that they would take over the post until morning.

The outpost itself was designed to meet basic needs for long periods of time. In Wataru’s opinion it was only a small step down from the dormitories at the training facility, but he was also used to harsh living conditions. Han, on the other hand, wasn’t used to sleeping in anything but a bed and he wouldn’t accept moving on and having to sleep outside when there was a perfectly good bed available. “Really, why push on when we can lay about for a night?” Han pressed his point as to why they were right to stay the night.

“Because we could have gotten started right away in the morning and now we’ll probably have to be away an extra night,” Wataru replied gruffly. When Han had declared they would stay, he’d done so in a manner that pulled rank and Wataru had no choice but to go along with the decision while there had been another Guardian present.

Now the Guardian was gone and they were stuck there until he returned in the morning.

Now Wataru could say whatever he wanted to without any repercussions.

“You can’t tell me you wouldn’t rather sleep indoors.”

“I lived as a Nomad for two years: I can sleep anywhere I need to. You should get used to that since you’re going to be a Guardian. Less than 10% of Guardians occupy outposts like this while the rest are on active duty all across the Regions. They don’t regularly get such luxuries.”

“Only those who don’t know how to cozy up to people and mooch some proper shelter.” Wataru shot the Empowered a scathing glare and Han figured he wouldn’t gain any ground on that front – not surprising since Wataru didn’t seem to care about material comforts – so he changed tactics. “At least admit you felt sorry for that guy. He’s been here alone for two weeks because of an inept messenger failing to deliver the investigation request in a timely manner. Kawamura really should take over all training and leadership over messengers. That guy wouldn’t have let something like this happen.”

As the soldier who put in the request, the man was required to stay on duty until he could deliver the full report. Unfortunately, the courier had been new and didn’t notice the emblem on the message that marked it as a priority delivery and had continued their route through two more Regions before they realized their oversight.

“He didn’t have to stay here alone. The man that was supposed to relieve him could have done their usual shift with him. It was his fault for turning them away.” Han growled in frustration.

“How in the hell are you such a stickler for rules and regulations?” the comment was out before Han could consider how rude it sounded and how it broached a probably sensitive subject.

The darkening expression on Wataru’s face told him he might have crossed the line too much.

“Care to rectify that statement?” Wataru’s voice was painfully even and Han commended him for his control though he felt the air around them rise in temperature and he recognized it as a display of Enlightened temper. He’d made a habit of pushing Wataru’s buttons – just as he did to just about everyone else he came in contact with – and had taken things too far in the past and he was now deeply familiar with the consequences and he was now worried that he’d have to find herbs tonight to treat some burns. He had to remind himself that Yuichi wasn’t around to help keep an eye on things and stop Han before he went too far. Because while Han specialized in reading people, he couldn’t always get a solid read on the Enlightened and his limits didn’t exactly stay consistent.

“You just don’t have the best history with obeying authority.” Han wasn’t entirely sure he was actually heading in a positive – safer – direction. The continued pressure in the air around them confirmed his suspicion.

“Guardians are an extension of the authority of the Nobunagas. They put their lives on the line for the people, but without order and protocol, there is no strength behind the force. We designed the system in a way that was easy to follow while ensuring the greatest strength. If you don’t think we did a good job, take it up with my father and he will take any suggestions under advisement. If that doesn’t work for you, shut up and stick to the protocol of the path you chose.” After speaking his mind, Wataru turned his attention back to the task of making the far corner of the room into an acceptable bed for the night.

Han was completely lost as to how to respond. He couldn’t think of a time he had ever heard so much in one go from Wataru. He’d also never heard the younger teen speak with such conviction and that the subject was following rules baffled Han all the more. He never would have anticipated such a response and all he had done was point out how independent Wataru was. Then again, despite Wataru’s independent nature, he was fiercely loyal to his family and to insult the way the Regions operated was inadvertently an insult to the family who ran it. Even Yuichi might have taken offense to that since Shohei had been greatly involved in the defense structure’s development.

Wait, Yuichi…

Han couldn’t keep from letting out a relieved laugh as he realized what was going on. “That’s what you’re pissed about? Another day away from Yuichi? Man, you really had me worried there for a minute, but you just don’t want to be away from your lover-boy for any longer than you have to.”

The candle on the table next to Han melted in an instant as Wataru’s face turned bright red in embarrassment. He wanted to deny the accusation but Han just kept talking, as was his usual tendency.

“There’s nothing wrong with missing him, Wataru. You two are closer than anybody I know. Add in how busy you have both been with assignments and you are already stretched thin. You were expecting to head back early afternoon and be back with him tomorrow night and now that’s not going to happen. Then I go and shoot my mouth off about your family’s leadership. It’s a wonder the building is still standing with that much emotion going through that little body of yours.”

“Don’t call me little,” Wataru bit back reflexively. He hated comments about his height.

“Wataru, we’re friends right?”

The sudden serious question made Wataru turn to Han. The older teen didn’t make a habit of asking such questions since his Perspective skills made it so he could simply Look at anybody and understand just about everything about them. Being an Enlightened didn’t make him immune so what was the point in asking?

“Why are you asking?” Wataru responded. “Why not just Look?”

“You can be difficult to Look at. One word can bring up so many different reactions that it’s hard to discern which is the most honest. Don’t take it too personally; Yuichi can be the same way. Now don’t think that saves you from my question.”

“That’s not what I was doing. Yes, Han, we are friends. Why would you feel the need to ask?”

“You aren’t exactly forthcoming with anything personal and I understand why that is, but sometimes I worry about you two because of that. I’ve known Yuichi for years and he deserves to be happy with the one he’s chosen to Bond with.”

Wataru’s breath hitched at Han’s declaration. _Yuichi isn’t happy being Bonded to me?_ Just the idea was terrifying and the strain of being apart for the last few days made it difficult for Wataru to be as certain of their relationship as he normally was. It didn’t help that he was having this discussion with Han, who knew Yuichi better than anyone. Even the fluctuation of the tone of the conversation he was having with Han since they’d arrived was throwing him off.

His hands came to rub his face, trying to relieve some of the stress that was building in his mind. When something cool and hard brushed his temple, his attention shifted to the ring Yuichi had given him to match the image of being Bonded. While the ring held no sway over their Bond since he’d connected their Cores from the start, it was still a representation of what they meant to each other. His mind calmed instantly at the visual reminder that their Bond was their choice.

He looked back to Han, who was watching him carefully, and straightened his posture to display his confidence.

“Yuichi is happy with me. And I’m happy to be with him. You have no idea what our Bond is like and I don’t appreciate your attempts to mess that up.”

Han’s reaction shocked Wataru: he broke out laughing. His shock lasted the few seconds it took to remember that the other male had a penchant for trying to irritate people solely for the purpose of seeing how they’d respond and he became frustrated all over again. He was the youngest of six siblings and he had survived everything they had pulled on each other – kids were kids regardless of who they were – but Wataru wasn’t confident that he would be able to handle dealing with Han for much longer.

“Good to know. You had me worried there for a minute: I didn’t think you’d bounce back. Come on, I’ve watched you two since the beginning and I’ve never seen two people be so honest with each other even as they aren’t with everybody else. That honesty is really important, you know.”

“I really despise you,” Wataru grumbled and Han laughed. “This was all about challenging my belief in our Bond?”

“I had to get you irritated or there would be no way I could trust whatever you responded with.”

Wataru felt his frustration peak before his mind caught up with what Han had said. He truly had never met anybody who understood behavior as Han did, Empowered, Gifted or otherwise. The older teen was sure to become a powerful asset to the Regions once he was done at the training facility.

Han had begun rambling on about something random and Wataru sighed heavily as he struggled to tune him out.

Future potential didn’t mean he was any more tolerable in the present.

 

* * *

 

 

Wataru woke up abruptly, his senses quickly coming together to identify why he wasn’t asleep anymore. It was still nighttime and there were no obvious sounds to have pulled him to consciousness. He looked to where Han had settled for the night to see him still soundly asleep. After giving his surroundings another careful check, he still couldn’t identify the threat.

So why did it feel like something was wrong?

A careful lifestyle prompted him to get out of his makeshift bed of blankets piled on the floor and he walked over to Han and shook him awake. Han woke up quickly and quietly, the habit having been drilled into him through his training as a Guardian. Wataru noted the quick check of the room – nearly identical to how Wataru had checked – before focusing on Wataru with a questioning gaze.

“Something woke me up,” he whispered.

It really was a testament of Han’s capabilities as a Guardian when he didn’t question Wataru further, but immediately moved out of his bed and reached for his weapon belt with his broadsword and strapped it into place around his waist. He went to the door and cracked it slightly – just enough to let more noise into the small building.

Wataru felt Han’s powers flare up at his command and then focus in Han’s eyes and ears – he was boosting the strength of the two senses. He tried to remain as still and silent as possible as Han turned his attention to outside the outpost and searched for the possible threat.

After about a minute of nothing coming from the search, Wataru panicked thinking that he had overreacted and gotten them all worked up for nothing. He began to shift toward Han but was stopped immediately by a raised hand gesturing for him to stay where he was. Getting frustrated by not knowing what was going on Wataru called on his own power and used the crack in the door to call a small breeze into the room. With Han’s enhanced hearing, he would hear what Wataru said at any volume, but Wataru would need help with hearing the same volume.

“What is it?” he barely let the sound materialize and Han glanced at him in mild frustration until he felt the manipulated wind brush his face.

“Someone is outside. They are still a ways away but they are making progress toward us,” Han whispered.

“Are they talking?”

“No, they are being careful to stay silent. One tripped a little while ago and got kicked while he was down.” Wataru rolled his eyes at the amusement in Han’s tone at the last observation. Did he ever take things seriously?

“I’m moving to the roof. I’ll tell you what I figure out.”

“Will you be able to hear me?” Wataru considered how much work it would take. Without Han being right in front of him, he would need to have a consistent flow going and there would be a few seconds delay in getting the message. It would take too much attention from his surroundings.

“Only if I really need to. Too much work and delay for it to be useful.” Han nodded and Wataru collected his bow and quiver of arrows and moved quickly to the stairs on the far side of the room that led to the roof.

“Wataru, don’t expose yourself. Find out what they are and keep your head down.”

“I’m your backup. I won’t just sit by if this turns into a fight.”

“And if they _are_ Vagabonds, they’ll figure out who you are. I won’t be the reason you get found out. Besides, I’ve dealt with them before and I know what to expect.”

Wataru didn’t want to admit the logic behind the statement. Han had – like Yuichi – been born and raised in the Southern Emerald Region. On top of that, his parents had both been Guardians and had lived and worked on border patrol so Han had grown up and lived with a very real threat of the Vagabonds.

Wataru, on the other hand, had been carefully hidden from the enemy of the Regions for reasons he had never been told. He was sure they knew of him – he was too well known for various reasons not to be – but he had never engaged in conflict like his parents and a few of his siblings had been. Not even in his now three years of freedom had he encountered a Vagabond.

Han’s concern was appreciated but unnecessary. They wouldn’t recognize him without any frame of reference and they certainly wouldn’t be able to connect him to his other identity.

“Wataru!” Han spoke, his voice rising so Wataru could hear without manipulating the wind. “I’m ordering you to stay out of it.”

“Understood, alright? I’ll identify them and then they’re all yours.” _Unless you can’t handle them,_ he added to himself. Orders could be broken for the sake of saving lives.

Han looked at him suspiciously, but it didn’t matter because Wataru turned away and was now making his way up the stairs to the roof. He released his control over the wind and shifted his focus to his ability to identify Core’s natures and pulled the power to the front of his mind. His ability only worked as long as he was aware of the person with one of his natural senses so there would be limited warning for Han. His best bet was his hearing with the pitch black forest surrounding them. With this in mind, he closed his eyes and focused all his attention on every sound he picked up. Just because he couldn’t boost his senses like most Empowered could, that didn’t mean he hadn’t learned how to manipulate his senses to make them a little more naturally better. All the time he had spent being sequestered away from others while  growing up had given him plenty opportunity to learn how to turn off some senses to force the other ones to accommodate the loss.

And now, as much time as he had spent in forests while living as a Nomad, Wataru was able to quickly identify sounds that were just the forest itself going through the night and then tune those sounds out. Insect activity was the next to be ignored. That left larger wildlife, which he systematically worked through, figuring out where exactly the sound came from and a brush of his power to Identify to tell him there was no Core present. He then catalogued the location in his mind and he was finally able to move on and focus on anything out of the ordinary. The whole process only took about a minute, but that was easy to forget when he had to go through so much information.

He couldn’t say how long he waited for something to catch his attention but once he heard the rustle of movement, his senses extended immediately to Identify it. The source was still a good distance away – close to forty feet out from Han’s position at the front door – but Wataru locked his attention on the sound and waited for his power to recognize the type of Core.

As his senses came back to him, his knees buckled as nausea swept over him suddenly. His hand brushed his face, trying to rub the dizziness away as he tried to figure out what brought on the negative sensation. _Vagabonds…_ his Core seemed to call the word to him and he pulled all his power back into himself. He wouldn’t risk further inspection of the Cores of the Vagabonds if this was how he was going to react.

His sister, Karin, had once warned him of the danger that Enlightened and Vagabonds meant to each other. Unlike the Gifted and Empowered whose abilities complimented each other, it was like his kind was meant to be at war with the people that inhabited the land to the south of the Regions. Their powers were completely incompatible to the point of destroying one another if their Cores were to be exposed to each other. Beyond that, all Vagabonds they had come in contact with – even the ones Wataru just felt – had a deeply violent and hateful nature which was made so by their Cores and they openly sought the deaths of all that weren’t their kind.

It was their dark nature that Wataru had reacted so strongly to, having never experienced anything like it before feeling it in the seven that were approaching now. A small thud below him caught his attention and he pulled himself together and extended his senses again to make sure it wasn’t another threat. He had just barely started to investigate when a similar thump sounded in a different but close location. When he realized the sound was straight out from the door, he remembered that Han was waiting for his information and he was aware of how close they were.

“You were right: seven Vagabonds moving toward us. They might just pass up by if we don’t give them reason to think there’s someone here.” Unless Wataru and Han – the investigators – showing up was exactly what they had been waiting for and they had exposed themselves purposefully to the Guardian so that he would send for support.

A few knocks from below told Wataru that Han wanted him to hear him, despite the division of his attention it would cause, and so Wataru called on his control over the wind currents again and when he could hear Han’s breathing he whispered to him to speak.

“I doubt they expect whoever they think is here to be ready for them. We are here to deal with a report of Vagabonds and it actually panned out. If you get a shot, take it, but that’s all I want to see from you. I don’t want you using any of your powers.” Once again, Wataru dismissed the order as he strung his bow and fitted an arrow into position.

“We got about a minute until they’re close enough for me to see. Straight out from your position.” When Han didn’t respond, Wataru released the wind current between them and tapped the air around him. It was a trick he’d learned early in his training that a small burst of controlled wind would give his arrows speed and they would pierce their target more deeply. The first time he tried it, the arrow had pushed its way completely into a tree trunk. He had never considered using it on another person, but after feeling how twisted the Cores of the Vagabonds were, he had trouble caring about what damage it would do.

He cleared his mind until he was only aware of the sound of their movements getting closer and the knowledge that Han was nearby and would have to be monitored in case the Guardian messed up. It was only when he saw the first signs of movement that he reigned in the wind current surrounding him. He had difficulty differentiating the movement of the forest from the approaching Vagabonds and figured they were dressed in attire that helped them blend in. They were, however, approaching where the trees thinned out and would have to expose themselves to make any more progress.

_Unless they have elemental manipulation like the Gifted and Enlightened…_ The realization hit Wataru that he really had no clue what sort of abilities the Vagabonds were capable of. His father and brothers had been studiously evasive in revealing anything about the Vagabonds until Wataru was “old enough” to deal with them and he had been gone by the time that age had come around. Sure he could ask around at the training facility, but the best answer he could get would be from the Enlightened.The first figure emerged from the dense forest and moved carefully toward the outpost without any indication that the person was concerned about being attacked. The person was cloaked in a cloth that was a blend of natural forest colors making for good camouflage. Wataru double-checked the Core’s nature of the person - making sure it was really a Vagabond - then he drew his bow and released both the arrow and the wind coiled behind him. The arrow whistled with the speed it cut through the air at and impaled the first of the intruders through the light armor he wore in the chest. There seemed to be a pause in the air as it registered to the attacking party that one of theirs was so suddenly dead and Wataru used the chance to nock another arrow.

After a few seconds, orders were whispered that Wataru was unable to hear, but suddenly the remaining six Vagabonds burst from the tree line and sprinted toward the outpost in a charge. Wataru picked out the closest one and let another arrow sing toward its target. He felt their attention shift toward his location as he readied another arrow.

He didn’t get a chance to get it in place though as his senses were suddenly assaulted by a variety of feelings which weren’t his: anger, hatred, and a desire to destroy. Just as he was able to apply the thought that it wasn’t his emotions, images began to accompany the emotions and he felt worse than anything he had ever experienced when he was Looking into time. The nausea returned full force as he felt his Core react by trying to pull away from the dark thoughts and images that were being forced upon him. He collapsed to his knees and pressed his hands to his temples in an attempt to give him something tangible to focus on to regain his bearings. He heard his name being called but he was simply incapable of forming a response as everything he tried was overcome by the monstrous and downright grotesque images and thoughts being thrown at him. It was like whoever was doing this knew how strongly he reacted to death – having the ability of a Healer made it difficult to see life lost – and was showing him every conceivable way one could meet their end.

Just as his Core was about to flare violently in response to his turmoil – it would probably decimate everything around him in an attempt to destroy whatever was causing him such pain – the assault ceased and Wataru nearly collapsed the rest of the way to the ground but managed to catch himself on shaky hands. He slowly became aware of sounds of fighting below him and he struggled to collect himself to resemble something useful. He finally managed to push the sensation of being violated out of his mind and body and pulled himself to his feet and looked down to see Han fighting off three assailants, the other two laid out on the ground around them.

Han was holding his own well enough, but Wataru could tell that the Empowered teen was nearly to his limits. Han’s abilities were strongest in observation and so increasing his physical strength and stamina was not something he could maintain for very long. Once his Core was exhausted, his enhancements would withdraw and he would be left with only the strength he naturally possessed to finish the fight. That would only be okay if the Vagabonds didn’t possess the same ability to enhance their strength.

Wataru’s eyes turned to search for his weapon and located it a few feet away. He stumbled to grab it, then returned to his position as he placed an arrow in the string and drew the bow, aiming it at the Vagabond most separated from the conflict and released the string as soon as it was pointing in the right direction. The shot went wide though and struck a tree a few feet past his target. He growled in frustration at his mistake as he readied another arrow, this time taking the necessary time to aim before letting it fly, grateful that his target had been too focused on Han to realize that he had been attacked until it was too late.

With confidence in the second shot, he was already preparing another shot when it struck the man he’d aimed for down. The other two were actively fighting with Han and all three were moving around a great deal. It made it near impossible to get a clear shot and Wataru let his draw on the bow relax enough so that his arms wouldn’t get tired and lead to another bad shot.

Feeling Han’s endurance continue to fade, Wataru went for a more direct approach and called out. “Move Han!” Thankful that Han was used to following such direct commands, he redrew the string as Han leapt and rolled away from the Vagabonds and Wataru aimed for the one closest to him and fired to take out another threat. Before he could ready another one, the last man looked up to him and Wataru felt pressure build up in the very air around him and suddenly he was forced to his knees. It was different than before and it wasn’t elemental control, but felt more like he suddenly had an unbearable amount of weight pressing down on him. Reacting instinctively, he reached out with his power and traced the oppression to the Vagabond, then retracted his awareness back in and shifted his power into a concentrated burst of negating energy – it would cancel out any active powers but his own. The burst spread out around him and he heard someone let out a curse.

Wataru once again pulled himself to his feet, his limbs shaking from the strain of the pressure he had just been subjected to, and looked over the edge of the roof and panicked when he saw Han on the ground with the Vagabond moving in on him. Apparently Han’s extended use of his own abilities had made him more vulnerable to Wataru’s burst and had actually knocked him unconscious. The Vagabond, on the other hand, was already building up his power in a way Wataru had never sensed before.

His nerves got the better of him as he just felt that something was about to happen that he couldn’t do anything about if he was so far away from the fight and he turned and bolted down the stairs and through the outpost and shot out the front door. The Vagabond had pulled Han to his feet and his hand was pressed to Han’s forehead. Wataru froze as he now recognized the sensation of what the man was doing: he was targeting Han’s Core, drawing it out. If he exposed Han’s Core like this, it would be destroyed and the teen would die.

Without thinking, Wataru ran up to the two and pressed his hand to the Vagabond’s temple and collected another negating burst of power and pushed it through his hand. The man stumbled away, dropping Han in the process. Wataru crouched down next to his friend in a protective position, keeping his attention on his opponent as the man stumbled to his feet. He looked to Wataru and seemed to simply take in whatever he could for a few seconds before a malicious grin spread across his face.

“Found you,” he declared before Wataru felt the overbearing pressure collect around him again before he was blown back by the force. Once he was off his feet, the pressure faded immediately and he sat up to look around and discover the Vagabond had used the burst to cover his retreat. Wataru let out a frustrated sigh before turning his attention to Han, who lay in a crumpled heap a few feet away, the burst having knocked the unconscious teen around as well. He crawled over to his friend, his body still shaking slightly from being knocked around as he had been, and made sure that he wasn’t injured.

As Wataru was examining Han, the teen stirred and woke up, earning a heavy sigh of relief from the Enlightened. He helped Han to a seated position and gathered a small burst of healing power to help counter the physical exhaustion the Empowered was sure to be going through. Han took in their surroundings, noting the number of deceased Vagabonds immediately. When it didn’t add up to how many he knew to have attacked, he turned back to Wataru with a sharp gaze.

“Where’s the last one?” his tone demanded an answer.

“He made a run for it when I took out his last buddy,” the half-truth slid out easily. After all, there was no reason to make Han worry about something that possibly wouldn’t amount to anything. The Vagabond simply couldn’t have known who he was by the power he’d used – everything he did could be chalked up to Gifted Elemental Manipulation, even the interruption of the man’s targeting of Han’s Core. “In case you forgot, you ordered me to keep back.”

“Twice,” Han corrected, but his continued penetrating gaze told Wataru that he probably didn’t really fully believe him. Well, as long as he didn’t actually call him out on it… “Well, let’s get this all cleaned up and try to get some rest before our relief gets here. Tomorrow we’ll have to report we’ve got positive Vagabond presence in the Eastern Jade Region. I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking forward to that news reaching your brothers.” Until now, the Vagabonds had only caused problems in the Southern Emerald Region.

“Especially when they see my name on the report,” Wataru shuddered to imagine the next meeting he was sure to have with his siblings once this got to them.

“You should be more worried about Yuichi’s reaction when I tell him.”

And there was no doubt that Han would tell Yuichi everything he knew about the fight. He would probably do it in a bragging manner to mitigate the impact of the news, but Wataru’s partner would still note the missing details from when Han was unconscious and would question Wataru about it. And if pressed about it directly enough, Wataru wouldn’t be able to lie. Their Bond had reached such a point that they could tell when the other was hiding something and Yuichi would probably consider this important enough to not simply let go.

There was no predicting the caliber of Yuichi’s reaction to what he would most likely see as Wataru becoming known to the Vagabonds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy this chapter for Han and how he interacts with Wataru. As I've written him, I ended up taking some very loose inspiration from the Han character of the Fast and the Furious movies. Mostly just the carefree-ish attitude that covers up his intellect. He's probably my favorite OC that I've ever put in a fanfic and that's saying something as I've written quite a few OCs to contend with.  
> Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	8. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuichi and Wataru are forced into action...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sitting on this for such a long time and it's time I got back to it! It's the only WIP I have on AO3 and I'm determined that it gets finished. So, I'm updating and hoping there's still some interest out there. Won't know if I don't try.

Yuichi stretched with a deep sigh as he walked away from the training facility’s headquarters where all the Guardians and Defenders there worked after giving his report on the mission he had just completed. He had come back early that morning but had only just been able to give his report and it was getting dark.

Not that he really minded the delay since he was told that Wataru had left two days ago on an assignment of his own and hadn’t returned yet. Sure, he was supposed to have returned earlier today but he was with Han and Yuichi knew his friend had a tendency to do whatever he could to stay away from the facility as long as he could manage. He only got away with it because he was good at what he did and he never pushed it so far as to be inconvenient.

Deciding to call it a night, he turned in the direction of the dormitories. He made it about five steps when he was suddenly knocked off balance by a body jumping on his back and he fought against his initial instinct of striking out against what could be an attack. However, he simply sighed in exasperation at Han’s greeting. No one but his best friend would jump on him like that so he was confident in his knowledge that it was Han. He turned to look behind him at his friend’s grinning face.

“You’re back,” Yuichi observed. His mind celebrated the fact that Han returning meant that Wataru was back as well. “That’s not right: you only left the day before yesterday. Did Wataru actually make you behave in meeting the estimated mission duration?”

Han scoffed as he let Yuichi go and moved to stand beside him. “Yeah right, like the kid could make me do anything without pulling rank. You know he worries too much about staying in line and away from the attention of those in charge to argue with orders. Do you have any idea how fun it is to boss around an Enlightened?” He finished with a smug grin that was way too self-satisfied for Han to think he could get away with.

Yuichi shot him a look that said how displeased he was with the declaration. “Try not to take so much joy in something he can get revenge on you easily for. Where is he?”

“He gave his report already and took off before I could talk to him. I don’t think he knows you’re back.” Han’s mercurial moods shifted once again and he suddenly became serious, the shift gaining Yuichi’s immediate concern and attention. “Listen, you need to know what happened because I’m sure he won’t tell you on his own so you don’t get worried.” Yuichi didn’t like the implication that he and Wataru weren’t open and honest with each other, though his reasoning was sound. Han – or anyone else for that matter – had no way of knowing the partners’ awareness of each other had reached a point where it was extremely difficult for the two of them to keep secrets from each other.

Granted – because of the life he had led – Wataru was better at keeping things in regardless of Yuichi knowing when he was doing so.

“Our mission was an investigation of a possible Vagabond infiltration near a Guardian outpost.” Yuichi nodded. The most common assignments they were given were investigations of some sort and if something came of it, it was passed off to more experienced Guardians or Defenders if necessary. “We were attacked by the Vagabonds at the outpost.”

Yuichi continued to keep tight control over his reactions and responded in a flat tone, “Obviously you weren’t hurt and you wouldn’t avoid telling me if Wataru was hurt, so what happened that he won’t be willing to tell me?”

“I don’t know.” Yuichi almost lost grip of his control at the seemingly flippant response, but he also caught the frustration that was boiling beneath the surface of his friend’s demeanor. “Why do you think I’m telling you to talk to him about it? I got knocked out for a short time and when I came to one of the attackers was missing and Wataru was acting like something was wrong. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so shaken up. To top things off, I had this killer headache and it felt like I’d been using my abilities for hours on end without a break.” The description caught Yuichi’s attention by the familiarity of the sensation.

“Did you have difficulty controlling your powers for about an hour afterward?” Han considered the question, not seeming surprised at being questioned further about it. Yuichi was always one who seemed to just know about things others thought they’d discovered – a benefit of being raised in a family that dealt with the Enlightened every day.

“It’s hard to say. I’d already used a lot of power so I didn’t have much left to not be able to control. What do you think happened?”

“I’d rather just ask Wataru. I might as well have him tell me then waste time trying to guess at it.” Han nodded in agreement, though he was a little put out that Yuichi wouldn’t tell him what he thought had happened. Han was curious and he didn’t like being left out of the loop. However, he also knew if Wataru would tell anybody it would be Yuichi, which was the whole reason he had sought his friend out as soon as his report had been given. “Thanks for the heads-up. You just cut out about half an hour of him dancing around the subject with me trying to figure out why he was doing so.”

“He’s good at that, isn’t he?” Han tried to loosen up the suddenly sullen air about his friend. He had expected that Yuichi wouldn’t take the news well: he loved Wataru deeper than he had ever loved another person and he was still learning to deal with such intense feelings. “You’ll be fine. When you get down to it, you care about each other and you’ll work it out.”

Han walked away then and Yuichi sighed as he was faced with the task of figuring out where his partner was. There weren’t many places in the facility where one could go to be alone and Yuichi would guarantee Wataru would be looking for solitude at the moment. Their room was an obvious possibility, but he considered that his partner didn’t actually know he was back as well. He also recalled that Wataru had told him that he didn’t spend much time there if Yuichi was gone. Another possibility was the meditation rooms because he could lock everybody out and people were expected to be quiet and respectful of others. But with more consideration, that option was ruled out as well since Wataru usually didn’t go there when his mind was pre-occupied since it meant he would be unable to actually focus enough to usefully meditate.

That left the most likely possibility being where Wataru went to vent frustration and gather his thoughts. He turned in the direction of the combat training fields, hoping he really knew Wataru as well as he liked to think.

As he approached the fields, he heard the sounds of training nearby and he worked his way in the direction of the source, moving quietly in case it wasn’t Wataru. The last thing he needed was for some other trainee thinking he had chosen to approach them.

A few short moments later, he turned a final corner and was met with a breath-taking sight: Wataru was practicing some empty-handed forms with the most intensity and ferocity that Yuichi had ever seen. His dark eyes were a hard obsidian in their level of focus and his black hair flew around him, dripping with the sweat of a hard workout. For once he had taken off his cloak as well as the outer shirt of his uniform – a rarity outside the privacy of their room – and his lithe body was more visible to scrutiny. His sleeveless shirt allowed Yuichi to really notice the coiled muscles that came from the years of training that had been endured. Wataru didn’t have the appearance of being physically strong – and he wasn’t when compared to many others – but he could certainly hold his own and the speed he was capable of was unmatched.

Yuichi was so distracted by watching his partner that he didn’t actually notice exactly when Wataru finished the form and took a chance to catch his breath. Feeling eyes on him, Wataru checked his senses for why he hadn’t noticed the visitor approach and was simply elated when he realized it was Yuichi only a few dozen feet away from him. He turned to face his partner and flushed immediately at the intense stare he was receiving.

“Hey Yuichi,” he managed to call out, but his voice still broke with his embarrassment. “I didn’t know you were back.” He had spent a few hours in their room, hoping for his partner to show up so he could actually relax, but Yuichi hadn’t shown by the time he had to leave to give his report. So he had had to appear in front of the Master Guardian – instead of the scribe they would have originally spoken with – to report on their mission and encounter with the Vagabonds while still stressing out about the situation.

On the bright side, that meant the report wasn’t given to one who could detect him dodging talking about the use of his Enlightened ability to affect Cores or heal.

Yuichi’s attention caught at Wataru’s voice calling his name, though it took some time for the words to actually form meaning for him. He noted the red tinge to Wataru’s face and realized that he was the cause – Wataru was so sensitive about being the focus of anyone’s attention – and shook himself out of the persistent stupor. He approached Wataru and placed his hand on the shorter male’s cheek, his heart hammering as the Bond between them instantly relaxed from the strained state it had taken because of their separation.

Feeling the loss of tension in the Bond that he hadn’t necessarily noticed as being that, Wataru’s body relaxed as well and his knees buckled. Yuichi noticed the movement and his other arm snaked around the lithe waist of his partner to help stabilize him. He was somewhat used to this as Wataru was more attuned to their Bond that he physically responded to shifts in it regularly.

  Wataru didn’t think he would be able to express how good it felt to be held by Yuichi again. It was hard to imagine that it had only been a few days since they’d seen each other. Now that he was in his partner’s embrace, it seemed like nothing was as bad as it had seemed mere moments ago. He lifted his arms and returned the embrace with as much strength as he was capable of.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

“I missed you, too,” Yuichi responded. He pressed his lips to Wataru’s forehead, then – knowing it wasn’t enough – he put pressure on Wataru’s cheek to angle his head and leaned down to press a kiss to Wataru’s mouth. He deepened it without hesitation, his tongue familiarizing itself once more with Wataru’s taste and every corner of his mouth. Wataru melted further into Yuichi’s embrace as all thought became simply impossible.

Minutes passed with the two remaining intimately engaged and aware of nothing but each other. Finally, Yuichi seemed to have satisfied enough of his hunger for his partner to pull away to hopefully carry a conversation. He watched smoldering black eyes slowly open as Wataru collected himself and seemed to finally convince his legs to work enough to stand on his own. Once satisfied that his partner was recovered enough, Yuichi decided to ensure that he didn’t give in to his desires again and put an arm’s length of distance between them.

“Feel better?” Wataru managed to say, though his voice was rough from his own desire that Yuichi had so easily awakened in him.

“Well enough, though far from satisfied,” Yuichi responded honestly.

“Time for a new subject!” Wataru exclaimed with a deep blush as his partner just smirked at his reaction. For someone who had much more proper speaking habits, Yuichi certainly wasn’t shy about voicing innuendos to Wataru at every opportunity. “How was your assignment? You were on guard detail for one of the Southern Emerald Region’s officials as he conducted inspections on the barrier right?”

 “Yes, the area he was inspecting took him close to the border with the Vagabond territory so he decided to err on the side of caution and hire extra guards. It was uneventful. How was your investigation?” Wataru debated how much he should tell Yuichi without prompt – his desire simply that he didn’t want his partner to worry – and Yuichi noticed the hesitation as exactly that. “I ran into Han earlier. It’s how I knew you were back. He gave me a brief overview.”

That didn’t actually tell Wataru much as Han’s definition of “brief” wasn’t the same as anybody else in the world: he was as likely to have only given a few sentences as to have mixed them in with whatever crossed his mind while relaying the information.

“We were attacked by Vagabonds. I mean, they came to us at the outpost and we had to defend ourselves. One of them got away.” Yuichi’s eyes narrowed as he recognized that there was some significance to Wataru including that detail.

“How did you allow that to happen?” his tone wasn’t accusing, merely curious and somewhat shocked.

He had fought with Vagabonds only once in the past, but that was enough to know why they were considered to be so dangerous. It was deeply ingrained into all Guardians and Defenders that sparing a Vagabond was inviting death to the next person they encountered – a lesson hard learned through the years – so Wataru’s news that one had escaped his very capable hands came as a surprise. There was also the knowledge that Vagabonds didn’t usually retreat either.

“I was trying to keep a passed out Han alive.”

“And how did Han come to be unconscious?”

Wataru hesitated again. Yuichi was asking all the right questions to getting him to admit that something potentially dangerous had occurred. Then he recalled that Yuichi had already talked to Han and of course his friend would have told him what he needed to head the conversation in the best direction.

Sometimes he really hated having people around that cared about him because they were friends.

Taking a deep breath, his mind shifted focus to trying to figure out why it was so important to evade Yuichi’s questioning on what had happened. Wasn’t part of the point of being Bonded to have someone who you could rely on unconditionally? And didn’t their Bond make this burden Yuichi’s problem as well? What good would it do either of them to try and shoulder the knowledge on his own when there was one who loved him so deeply willing and able to share the burden?

What sort of partner was he?

Wataru’s lips lifted at the corners into a sardonic smile as his choice was made. “You know, before yesterday I’d never actually confronted a Vagabond.”

Not what Yuichi was expecting to hear, but he’d take any admission at the moment. “Really?”

“Yeah, my father made sure to regulate my activities as much as he could to keep me from coming in contact with them. I had so much trouble with my powers that it seemed like absolutely everything could make me de-stabilize and go into another coma. I think he was afraid that the Vagabonds would figure that out easily enough and I wouldn’t survive.”

“It shouldn’t have been too difficult. Even when you were making healing rounds, you didn’t go too far away from the castle.” Though knowing Wataru, it had probably been an on-going battle to enforce. The younger teen hated anything that attempted to control him.

“That meant nothing for guaranteeing my safety. Vagabonds have a stronger presence in the Regions than Father will ever admit to the public for the panic it would cause.” There had even been rumors between the king and the Captain of the Defenders that there was a strong Vagabond presence somewhere in the Central Diamond Region. Such close proximity left less chance for proper defense, especially when the one being protected seemed determined to shirk all attempts toward keeping him safe. “I’ll admit I didn’t care about making it easy for my Father; being restrained has never been easy for me to handle.”

Wataru lowered his head and thought back to the many fights he and his family had had because of his refusal to take very real threats against his life seriously. He had thought them to be overprotective and overbearing without consideration of what he had wanted because he was the youngest and hadn’t developed normally.

How age had proven him to be the stupid one.

 Yuichi stepped a little closer and grasped his forearm in silent support, bringing Wataru from his shamed thoughts and back to the task at hand. He took a deep breath and collected himself to get to the point.

“Anyway, because I’ve never been exposed to them, I nearly lost it when I felt how malicious and bloodthirsty they really are. It’s like their beliefs have tainted everything within their very existence. It was difficult to even be close to.”

Yuichi had heard similar observations from Han in the past, but because he only had the one encounter with them and his senses weren’t as sharp at that time, he didn’t truly understand what Wataru meant. “So what happened at the outpost?” he pressed, trying to pull his partner’s attention from its depressed train of thought.

“I may have exposed myself to them as much as they were to me,” Wataru blurted out before he could second guess himself in doing so, the need for comfort overriding his concern of Yuichi freaking out about the whole situation.

Yuichi almost did exactly that but he managed to take a deep breath and reign in his reaction. He knew that Wataru was looking for some balance and he needed to provide it. The only outward response he gave to the revelation was his fingers tightening around Wataru’s arm.

“What exactly do you mean when you say ‘exposed’?” he questioned in a carefully even tone. He knew Wataru was looking for reassurance but he couldn’t quite give it to him without knowing more and he refused to give him a false response.

“I think he realized I could interact with Cores. You see, he was trying to kill Han by pulling his Core out and so I hit him with a surge of power that interfered with his power over Cores to keep Han safe. He lost control and Han was fine. When I did that, he figured something out but I can’t say exactly what. He took off and I had to make sure Han was okay.”

It was the not knowing for sure that was getting to him, Yuichi concluded. His hand slid down Wataru’s arm and took Wataru’s hand in his own, trying to offer more comfort to his partner with the slightly more intimate touch. As Wataru seemed to gather himself, Yuichi thought over the details he had just been given.

He was far from an expert on Vagabonds – there wasn’t really anybody within the Regions that he knew of who could claim to be so – but that didn’t mean he hadn’t picked up as much as he could about them when he’d decided to pursue life as a Guardian. He had learned how their only loyalties were to their own kind, but even that extended only so far as to not kill other Vagabonds. They considered any other Core nature and those without Cores alike to be lower life forms that didn’t deserve to live freely. They had been killing Gifted and Empowered people for as long as could be remembered, but they had remained in the background – the war between the Gifted and Empowered allowing them to act without too much attention – until the Nobunagas showed up and overpowered every Vagabond they came in contact with. From what Yuichi understood, that had kicked off a strong resentment of the Enlightened by the Vagabonds; after all, they had basically lived unopposed for as long as they knew and suddenly they had lost their foothold in the Mineral Valley. In response they had steadily increased their assaults against those within the Regions since Noal had been named King. Shohei had told him once that the king had told him how the power of the two held similarities – just as there were similarities between the Gifted and Empowered – but the nature of those who wielded the power was like the difference between fire and water: opposed in such a way that they destroy each other. While Vagabonds despised life outside themselves, the Enlightened embraced all life as important.

So what did all that mean for Wataru, who the king had apparently made sure to keep from the attention of the Vagabonds?

The first thought was one that Yuichi was sure stemmed from his desire for his partner to not be in danger: if Wataru had been successfully kept from the knowledge of the Vagabonds, what did they have to worry about what happened at the outpost? With the king’s insistence on protecting Wataru’s identity, there would be nothing for them to connect to his alternate identity from his limited show of power. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that they could even realize that what he had done was use abilities of an Enlightened. Besides, Wataru hadn’t engaged them under the Identity of his royal name which is what would most likely be what was familiar to them, giving the teen that much more protection. Satisfied with his reasoning, Yuichi refused to allow his mind to wander into more stressing possibilities, regardless of their likelihood.

While the Empowered teen went through this mental process, Wataru seemed to have collected his thoughts and calmed himself down completely and he suspected Wataru had used Yuichi’s muted reaction as an assist on that since he was definitely still stressed out about the exchange. They looked at each other and Wataru gave a relieved smile in Yuichi’s direction. “Thank you,” he whispered and Yuichi knew he was talking about controlling his response so that Wataru could regain control instead of them both getting worked up about it.

Yuichi was about to respond and share his thoughts about the situation when he suddenly felt a strange sensation surge through the Bond. It was unlike anything he had felt before in their connection and so he had difficulty pinpointing the reason, and the sudden nausea the feeling caused him didn’t help him focus. The sick feeling only increased as his mind instinctively cried out that his partner was being threatened and this was the Bond warning him of the danger. Wataru’s attention was still mostly focused inward, getting the last of his mind back in order so he probably hadn’t noticed. Deciding to allow his partner the opportunity to gather himself further and examine the danger on his own, Yuichi extended his awareness further away from them to try and pinpoint the source of the threat.

He didn’t have the opportunity to search for long as he was interrupted by an oppressive air suddenly surrounding him. Recognizing the power immediately he let go of Wataru’s hand and stepped forward to grab him around the waist. At the same time, he released the limitations to his physical strength and focused everything he had into his lower body and then jumped as far away as he could with Wataru secure in his grip. With his enhanced strength, he and Wataru ended up a good twenty feet away from where they had been. Upon landing, Wataru was instantly looking around them, instantly realizing how the power was similar to what he had encountered at the outpost the day before. Yuichi straightened his posture from the slight crouch he had landed in, but didn’t relinquish his hold on Wataru, his arms secured around the lithe waist and their difference in height keeping Wataru’s feet from touching the ground and his arms were secured around Yuichi’s neck to stabilize himself. His eyes glanced back to where they had been standing and watched the grass flatten against the ground from the pressure of the air weighing down upon it.

While he had noticed the familiarity of the attack, upon seeing the physical effects of the power Wataru determined with certainty that it was the same ability that had knocked him around twice the day before. Despite that knowledge, he was still as confused as to what exactly the power did. He could only guess that it was a variation of Elemental control where the air was compressed in an area to become physically oppressive. Judging by the effect it was having on the ground they had been standing on – which was now slightly depressed from the area around it – and feeling it the day before, Wataru could see that if it was compressed enough, it could literally crush a person.

Wataru followed his partner’s example and expanded his awareness and there was a silent pause as the two waited to see if the attack would repeat while they attempted to find where the attack had come from in the first place. They didn’t have to search very far as they realized the assault came from just outside the field they were in.

**_Put me down,_** Wataru ordered through their Bond, needing the freedom of mobility if he was to be of any use in the confrontation they were obviously about to be involved in. It took Yuichi a few seconds to respond and Wataru thought briefly that he would be ignored when he felt the arms around him start to relax and he was slowly lowered to the ground. It took a few seconds to really regain his footing as Yuichi didn’t actually release his grip on him, instead keeping his arm around Wataru’s waist while he just kept his legs bent in readiness to react to another attack and protect Wataru in the process.

“Not bad for a couple of kids,” a deep voice called out to them and they watched a man seemed to step from the very shadows and approach them.

There was no way to know any details of his appearance as he was cloaked and hooded, but that seemed to only make his figure seem that much more menacing. He was a powerful figure, standing easily a few inches taller than Yuichi and the way the cloak hung around his shoulders indicated that his build matched the towering height. Wataru’s reaction to the man was one of pure revulsion and he shuddered at the mere physical presence of this man. Worried about how he might respond if he looked any closer, Wataru reigned in his awareness to only cover a close perimeter around him and Yuichi so as to avoid any of his senses coming in contact with the man.

Noting his partner’s reaction of closing himself off to such a small area around them, Yuichi moved to stand protectively between the man and Wataru. Movement caught his attention from different directions and he noted – not wanting to take his focus off of the threat in front of him – shadows moving beyond his vision until four more threatening figures came into sight to surround them.

There was no doubt in either teens’ mind that they were surrounded by Vagabonds. That alone was disturbing enough without the knowledge that they were in a place that was supposed to be protected against such an assault.

Feeling the level of awareness from his partner retreat further toward them, Yuichi allowed his attention to split enough to open up to Wataru further. **_Stay with me Wataru. I’ll need you fighting,_** he communicated in an attempt to snap Wataru back out of his mind where he had retreated when the man had shown himself.

“I never thought I’d be so fortunate as to find the absent prince in such an obvious place. I gave the Fujiis more credit than that,” the man continued.

The sound of his true last name coming from a stranger – and a Vagabond no less – caught Wataru’s full attention. He moved to step forward without thinking about what he was doing – Yuichi’s arm shot out in front of him to keep him from advancing too far from him – brashly calling, “How do you know that name?” While plenty of people close to him knew his first name – while he was travelling with Nomads it was the only name he revealed – he was much more careful about who heard his last name. Even within the training facility, only the instructors were guaranteed to know his last name.

On the other hand, he was no longer focused on his anxiety from the previous day’s encounter.

There was blatant amusement in the man’s voice as he responded to Wataru’s outburst, “Knowledge is power and I made sure to find out that much about your kind when your father showed up to destroy the people of my nature.”

**_What?_** Wataru’s thought echoed in Yuichi’s mind, obviously not purposefully using the telepathy that was still developing between them.

“Regretfully my knowledge of your true name ends there. Shall we exchange weaknesses?”

Yuichi was baffled by the question. His eyes glanced back to Wataru briefly, his partner noticing the confusion and guessing the reason for it. And while his father hadn’t told him anything about Vagabonds, he had one time convinced one of his brothers to tell him just one thing about the enemy he kept hearing about. What had been told to him had been their weakness. **_Just like my name holds power over me, their name is like a key to their Core for an Enlightened to gain control over them. Apparently even their powers are heavily controlled by words_** ** _._**

Yuichi recalled how simply saying either of his names could completely transform his partner’s entire Identity.

“If you are really so stupid as to give me your name, go for it. Just don’t expect the same out of me,” Wataru growled his response. He was trying hard not to be the one to start a fire fight with a Vagabond on the training facility grounds. Maybe with enough time, whatever protection the facility boasted would kick in and the many talented warriors that lived there would appear, though every instinct he had told him to eliminate the threat before someone got hurt.

The laugh that answered him was dark and sent shivers down Wataru’s spine. Something was truly off with this guy. “You truly overestimate your strength. How about I give a demonstration of just how helpless you really are?” Wataru didn’t respond and he could just tell the man’s amusement increase. “My name is Hajime.” As the name was spoken, Wataru felt unmistakable power behind it. It was like hearing his father speak his name – with its confidence and power that resonated from deep within the Core – and Wataru knew at once that the man was right: he wouldn’t be able to use his name against him at all and probably couldn’t even beat him in a fight. He was too unstable and weak. He wasn’t even certain that any of his siblings – maybe all of his siblings combined – would be able to take this guy on.

And all he had done was give his damn name!

Keenly aware of his partner, Yuichi felt something in Wataru suddenly deflate but couldn’t understand why his partner no longer seemed to want to defend himself. Deciding to end this before any of the Vagabonds around them took advantage of the dropped guard, he started releasing limitations on his mind and body as quickly and subtly – he didn’t want to be the reason they started attacking – as he could. He hoped this Hajime continued his bragging long enough for him to build the strength and endurance he’d need to fight off five Vagabonds. He felt Wataru’s attention shift to him momentarily, then felt the protective embrace of Wataru’s shielding powers come forward to help keep what he was doing hidden. He hoped that if the Vagabonds could feel the barriers, they would believe Wataru to merely be preparing for a fight instead of masking what would become their offense.

Either Hajime couldn’t sense things well, he just didn’t care, or he did misunderstand the barriers’ intent because he continued in his confident tone as if nothing was different with the pair. “It seems you don’t need a demonstration to get what I’m saying. Now let’s put an end to this pointless exchange and come to the point: you either come with me or I destroy you.”

Feeding off the serenity Yuichi’s mind needed to prepare for the fight, Wataru pulled himself together further and even managed to scoff. It helped greatly that Hajime had just made a point of doing the one thing that brought out Wataru’s full tenacity: control him. “I’m not too favorable of those options. Here’s mine: how about you take off before this field is crawling with enough Guardians to take you down? There may not be good enough defenses to keep you out, but they are smart enough to at least know you’re here.”

Hajime seemed simply amused by the prospect. “If you – an almighty Enlightened – can’t beat me, how do you expect those with such pathetic abilities as the Gifted or Empowered to?”

“Because yesterday me and one Empowered took out six of your kind. I’ve personally had harder times sparring with Defenders.”

“And if you’d killed seven, you wouldn’t have been exposed. Next time you should put more effort into it and finish the job. You’d also be wise to not let a single encounter with a weak scouting party cloud your evaluation of my kind.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not so stupid as to do something so ridiculous. But apparently you are.”

Yuichi used the moment of confusion Wataru bought and sprang into action, jumping toward his left where the closest Vagabond was, covering the fifteen feet or so that separated them in an instant without the physical limitations of weight and strength holding him back. He struck the man down with a sharp punch to the stomach. The man doubled over, gasping for air and tried to ignore the pain of several broken ribs enough to fight back, but Yuichi moved too quickly and pulled the sword from the Vagabond’s grip and ran it through the man’s chest to remove the threat. There was a stunned silence surrounding him and Yuichi took the opportunity to release the limitations of his hearing and sight, noting very briefly that he seemed to pick up much more than he normally was capable of. Turning his attention to locating the next Vagabond who was positioned behind Wataru, he moved to strike when he once again felt pressure build around him quickly. As soon as he felt it though, it lifted and he once again felt a barrier settle around him, recognizing the feel of Wataru’s power envelop him in a protective barrier.

With his body free to move again, he launched the attack on the one he’d already targeted. Mere seconds had passed since Yuichi began his offense, but the man was already prepared for his attack and blocked the swing toward the midsection with the sword he held. Following the momentum of his deflected blade, he circled his entire body and brought another swing to the midsection without the slightest hesitation. The strength and speed he moved at made it impossible for the Vagabond to deflect the second strike and the blade cut deeply into his arm, nearly severing it completely. He wasted no time in freeing the weapon and then burying it deeply through a second enemy’s chest.

He felt a shift at his back and was aware of the barrier around him solidifying. He felt the pressure of something striking the barrier, followed by the dull thud of something hitting the ground at his feet. Turning to face his assailant, he realized it had been a thrown knife that he had been saved from and the Vagabond was standing a few feet away from Wataru with his weapon drawn and prepared to strike at the smaller teen. While the Vagabond’s eyes were on Wataru, the Enlightened’s eyes were on his partner. The difference being Wataru was obviously fully aware that he was in danger while the Vagabond seemed to believe that Yuichi was taken care of.

**_Get him one more step my way and he’s done for,_** Wataru’s voice echoed in his mind louder and clearer than he had ever heard before.

Kneeling immediately, he grabbed the knife which had been kept from piercing his back by Wataru’s barrier and let his mind flow with knowledge of the balance and design of the blade and how to properly throw it. He flipped the knife so he held it at the tip of the blade and then threw it in a single motion, aiming slightly to the left to encourage the target to move that much closer to Wataru. Obviously catching the movement from the corner of his vision, the man reacted exactly as manipulated and stepped out of the way of the incoming knife. Wataru moved at the same time, dropping to one knee, and swinging his other leg out in a sweep kick to take the Vagabond’s legs out from under him. Once the body made contact with the ground in a heavy thud, Wataru closed the last short distance between them and pressed his hand – the palm glowing with power – against the man’s head. There was a brief groan, and then the body went lax in unconsciousness, then let out a violent spasm as Wataru pushed another short burst of power through him to seal the Vagabond’s Core.

Unexpectedly, there was a curse from Hajime as Wataru and Yuichi both stood from their crouched positions, their eyes darting cautiously between the two. The remaining Vagabond standing off to the left of Hajime was keeping his distance from the teens, obviously waiting for instructions. Hajime’s eyes moved between the tense teens to size up their capabilities, which seemed to be far beyond what he was expecting. For someone who had been certain that he held the upper hand in this encounter, he had been thrown off with relative ease on the Bonded pair’s part. Wataru had the thought that Hajime was basing his knowledge off of what he had experienced from encounters with other Fujii’s and how their Cores worked in a predictable manner. After all, the barriers the Enlightened was maintaining alone should have taken all his concentration and power, yet Wataru was holding two separate barriers – one around himself and the other around the Empowered fighting with him – and actively fighting with other abilities.

“Are you truly capable of so much, little Fujii?” Hajime asked, his voice a blend of frustration and wonder. Wataru’s eyes narrowed in his own anger but he restrained his reaction. He knew that regardless of how easy it was to take out three of their attackers, he and Yuichi still didn’t have what it took to contend with Hajime.

It was obvious that Hajime knew that as well, but didn’t seem to care that his last warrior was as good as dead. “Take Fujii out,” he instead commanded and the last remaining warrior responded without hesitation, drawing his sword in front of him as he pulled out a small knife and threw it at Yuichi before lunging after Wataru all in a single fluid motion. Yuichi’s enhanced vision caught the rhythm of the knife flying toward him and he prepared himself for the difficult – but not impossible with his enhanced senses and reflexes – of catching the weapon before it hit him so he could counter against Hajime. Before he could commit to the action, the barrier around him expanded and deflected the path of the weapon so it fell short of him by a few feet. Wataru built power up to seal the attacker’s Core, but he was concerned that he wouldn’t have enough time to build the right amount to give a controlled burst that wouldn’t risk the man’s life.

He needed information and he needed them alive to get it.

Noticing the flustered posture of his target, the man whispered a command to direct his power and Wataru was pushed off-balance and fell to the ground before he could even think of defending himself against the wave of power that struck him. Wataru let out a frustrated growl as the thought struck him how quickly that had happened; this guy had almost no delay between command and execution of his abilities. Without a chance to recover from the strike, the Vagabond was on top of him driving the tip of his sword down to stab into Wataru’s stomach. He struggled to pull his barrier in around him, but the proximity of the blade to his body made it extremely difficult. He felt the tip of the blade brush against the cloth of his shirt, making him panic and he started to lose what little progress of getting the barrier to fully materialize against it. He managed to stop the initial attack, but now his attacker was bearing his weight down onto the blade to try and break through the barrier which was crumbling quickly under the pressure of not being fully formed.

Putting as much effort as possible into the task, Wataru tried to refocus his power into something useful when the man was suddenly knocked off and away from him. Wataru sat up and watched as Yuichi violently attacked the Vagabond. His attack was relentless and the man could do nothing but block whatever strikes he could. It wasn’t enough though as Yuichi seemed to show no signs of tiring or letting up in his assault until he had succeeded in killing his opponent. It didn’t take more than about half a dozen strikes for Yuichi to break through the Vagabond’s defense and delivered a final blow to the one who had dared to threaten Wataru.

Now that the threat was eliminated, Yuichi’s attention was immediately on Wataru, who was still sitting on the ground looking quite dazed. He ran over to the smaller teen and kneeled down in front of him, reaching out his hand to rest on the pale cheek. Wataru blinked and looked up to him, then his gaze slid past him to focus on the only remaining Vagabond. Yuichi turned as well, maintaining a defensive posture between his partner and the one who threatened them.

Hajime scoffed and cursed again as the fight finished as he had feared it would and he was left with the dilemma of whether or not it was worth trying to take the Enlightened alive as he was supposed to. The four that had accompanied him weren’t the most skilled but they shouldn’t have fallen so quickly, especially against an insignificant Empowered. They had been brought along as means of controlling Fujii on the way back to their territory once he’d been captured and replacements wouldn’t be found soon enough to be useful. Seeing the Fujji’s power in action, he knew the boy would not be easily restrained and he couldn’t be the one responsible for the task.

Another day then…

“I must compliment you on a strong first impression, Fujii. We will finish this another time soon.” Hajime gave a short bow to Wataru and faded away into the shadows around him with a whispered command neither teen understood and he was gone.

Within seconds of the Vagabond’s retreat, Yuichi’s heightened senses picked up the approach of Guardians making their way toward them, though they were still a fair distance away. Apparently they had made enough commotion to get some attention despite being quite far from the facility and the patrols. Knowing they would soon have company and the threat had passed, Yuichi relaxed his limitations back into place and turned to face Wataru and was relieved to see the black eyes immediately look back to him. He couldn’t help but sigh in relief as he closed the small distance between them and leaned forward to press his lips to Wataru’s, needing the contact after seeing his partner nearly get stabbed. Wataru’s arms wound around his neck and tightened around him, obviously needing the contact as well.

Pulling away only enough to break the kiss, he touched his forehead to Wataru’s, taking an indescribable amount of comfort at the sensation of being held by the one he loved.

In this mirror of the first moments of their connection, the Bond was at its strongest.

“Are you alright?” he breathed the question, trying not to break the peaceful air that had settled between them.

“I’m not hurt,” Wataru answered. “Just not pulling myself together as well as I need to. It wasn’t this hard yesterday.”

_It wasn’t personal yesterday,_ Yuichi thought, careful not to communicate that to his partner.

Wataru was, indeed, having trouble regaining control as his power was fluctuating noticeably around them. This had to be taken care of before the Guardians showed up and realized that the power wasn’t that of a Gifted and they were coming from Wataru. Yuichi knew that his partner was starting to get frustrated with himself at losing his control now when he’d handled the threat just moments ago flawlessly.

“Control yourself, Wataru. The threat is gone. It’s just me. Use our Bond and get yourself centered again.” Letting the words flow softly, he did all he could to keep an even tone to give Wataru something constant to grasp mentally. This was a familiar pattern – Wataru’s powers fluctuating beyond control and Yuichi bringing him back to stability with touch or words – between them in the drills they had originally used to strengthen their Bond and Wataru would push too hard against his limits.

The familiarity seemed to help Wataru as well as the air around them settled and Yuichi felt the turmoil in the Enlightened’s mind become more organized.

His mind quickly found a tolerable level of order after that and Wataru decided that he was well enough to settle a few more things before he had to face the Guardians of the facility. He was exposed and there was nothing to do but go along with it. However, the exchange between the Vagabonds and the Bonded pair wasn’t finished yet as there was still one left alive. He pulled his face away from Yuichi enough to look around and locate the Vagabond before turning back to his partner with an expression that communicated that they weren’t finished. “I need answers and he won’t survive much longer with his Core sealed.” Wataru explained his intentions as he stood on shaky legs – which he ignored – and walked the short distance to the body and kneeled beside him.

“The Guardians are almost here,” Yuichi said as Wataru reached out for the exposed skin of the man’s forearm while he allowed the restrictions around his Core – which made his cover as a Gifted even remotely believable – to relax.

“I’m done hiding. I’ve been passive for my entire life towards these guys and I still got attacked like this. It’s time I change tactics on these evil bastards.” He closed the rest of the distance between his hand and the Vagabond’s arm.

His mind automatically raised a defensive barrier between them to keep him from getting any closer to the darkness his enemy represented even without his Core. The barrier was immediately removed though as Wataru – for the first time ever – purposefully observed the details of someone’s life.

Wataru’s power to witness people’s pasts worked similarly to his Pre-Cognition in that it came to him in flashes of images and feelings. The most important difference between the two abilities was the lack of danger to him physically and mentally. He could single out as many memories as he wanted and take in as much detail as he desired and come out of the experience with nothing more than used power. He simply preferred not to violate people like that; memories were supposed to belong to one person and it was wrong to share them.

Images began flashing through his mind and he began sorting through the memories of the Vagabond he was now in contact with. He didn’t expect to have to look past the day before as that was when he was exposed and that was where he was most likely to get any answers. He had only glanced at a few images when he found what he was looking for: the man who had attacked him at the outpost flashed through his mind and he focused on the image to take in the details of the memory.

The encounter itself was brief, the man reporting nothing besides the discovery of the missing Fujii. Once the information was passed, a figure moved into view. He was a man who appeared to be in his late 30s – though stronger Cores slowed physical aging so appearance could be deceiving – with sharp features which were even more pronounced by a long scar which ran the length of the left side of his face. His white hair was cut close to his scalp just barely long enough to discern the color indicative of great power and his eyes were a disturbing shade of silver grey, like molten steel. He spoke then and Wataru recognized the voice immediately as Hajime.

“I’ll investigate this myself. This needs to be handled delicately until we have a better understanding of what this kid is capable of against us. Remember, he is supposed to be important.”

Hajime was obviously a well-respected person by how everybody listened to him and seemed to take in every word at great value. Perhaps he was some sort of ruler over the Vagabonds.

Feeling the end of this memory’s useful information, Wataru chose to look further back to hopefully find what Hajime had meant about him meaning something to the Vagabonds. Going through images quickly, he took stock of details of Vagabond locations throughout the Regions – a disturbingly high number – and got a better handle on what their abilities entailed.

He finally found what he was looking for at a point in time nearly three years in the past and the time frame was not lost on Wataru. He watched as news of Aran Nobunaga reached the Vagabonds and disturbed them greatly. The Vagabonds had an understanding of how Enlightened thought and what they held value in – life and protecting those who needed it – and for one to simply disappear went against everything they had come to expect from their enemy.

Without warning, an image pressed into the mind of the Vagabond – the knowledge that it had entered the mind of all Vagabonds occurred to Wataru – of a figure with a split setting. One was the ruination of all Vagabonds, the other being their only chance at complete control. The image passed as quickly as it had come and the connection was made between the figure of the vision and the absent prince.

**_Yuichi, I’m coming back,_** Wataru called out and felt his partner strengthen his awareness of their Bond, giving him the beacon he needed to return quickly.

He pulled his hand away from the Vagabond and breathed deeply as the strain of using multiple complex abilities consecutively struck him once he was aware of his body. He was certain if he wasn’t already kneeling, he would have collapsed as his breath came in tired gasps. He measured his breaths carefully to help speed his recovery enough to use even more of his power, feeling the need to do so quickly as he heard the Guardians approaching them call out orders to each other.

“I am the fourth son of King Nobunaga, Prince Aran Nobunaga,” Wataru declared and felt the air around him shift and mold his appearance into his alternate identity. It wouldn’t hide the Bond between him and Yuichi – which most of the people at the facility knew about because of Yuichi’s popularity – but he hoped that they would be too distracted by the Vagabonds and his sudden appearance alone to notice.

The Guardians – Han and Kawamura both in the group of about a dozen – finally covered the last bit of distance of the field to approach the two and froze at who they saw amidst the circle of unmoving Vagabonds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a serious love/hate relationship with this chapter for one reason: Hajime. He wasn't in my original plans for the story and coming up with him was what originally threw me off on where I was taking things. I've come to terms with him though and I have successfully completely adapted him to the progress of the story.  
> I have also sat down and planned out the rest of the fic. I'd figured out the ending a while back after Hajime threw me, but I had no idea of how I was going to reach that point. As of now, I've got a bit more actually written and I will get that posted as well.  
> Side note: Hajime in Japanese means "the beginning" or "to begin". It's used in martial arts and it stuck out to me as matching up to what he meant to Wataru and Yuichi when I was thinking of a name for him.  
> Thank you for reading and hope to hear from you.

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clarify on the names and who is who: Noal is Kalen, Keiran is Kohaku, Rohn is Ryoku, and Aran is Wataru. The others will be named as needed through the story.


End file.
